West Brom lost away at Sunderland today, with the Baggies picking up another injury concern.
West Brom headed to Wearside this afternoon to take on a managerless Sunderland side.
And it proved to be a tough game for the Baggies with Sunderland looking rejuvenated and determined following the exit of a well-liked boss in Tony Mowbray.
The goals came in the second half with Dan Ballard and Dan Neil scoring for the Black Cats, whilst Brandon Thomas-Asante netted a consolation for the Baggies late on.
It came after a first half brimming with contested refereeing decisions, one being a tackle from Ballard which saw Maja forced off with an ankle injury.
Ballard was shown a yellow card for the challenge but many West Brom fans will think it should’ve been more.
Corberan frustrated, Jobi McAnuff reacts
Ballard came in strongly at Maja, leaving the ground as he went for the ball, but ultimately going through the West Brom man whose ankle was caught under the towering defender.
After the game Carlos Corberan spoke to Sky Sports and offered a blunt response when asked about Maja, simply saying ‘he’s injured’, and pundit Jobi McAnuff gave his verdict too.
Speaking live on Sky Sports, the former Reading and Watford man said:
“For me, it’s a poor, poor challenge…. When you leave the ground, and he’s a big boy [Ballard], so all that weight going through, whether it’s an ankle or a knee, it’s a real poor challenge for me and I can rightly feel Carlos Corberan’s frustration at what he feels is probably a challenge that was a bit over the top there.”
A huge blow for West Brom and Maja
Maja has only just returned from an ankle injury, with today marking his first start for the Baggies following his free transfer in the summer.
And it looked like he’d play a big role after coming off the bench vs Leicester City last weekend and grabbing his first goal for West Brom.
But his injury cut his game short and it looked a serious one, handing the Baggies yet another injury blow in their attacking department.
Like McAnuff says, Corberan has every right to be frustrated, especially given the fact that Ballard didn’t receive a red card for what looked like a two-footed tackle and then went on to score Sunderland’s first goal.
Everyone will be praying that the injury isn’t a serious one and that Maja can return soon and kick on at West Brom, after what’s been a stop-start spell at The Hawthorns so far.
Up next for the Baggies is a trip to Rotherham United on Tuesday.