West Brom earned another Championship win last night, beating Cardiff City 1-0 in Wales.
It was a tough game for West Brom, against a Cardiff City side who’ve impressed under new boss Erol Bulut this season.
But the Baggies came out on top thanks for a second goal of the season for Jeremy Sarmiento in what was a rare start for the man on loan from Brighton.
It handed Carlos Corberan all three points despite what wasn’t an amazing overall performance from his side, but nevertheless, a win is a win, and West Brom now sit in 3rd place of the table.
Who impressed for West Brom last night?
Once again there were some impressive individual performances for the Baggies.
Sarmiento perhaps steals the headlines after scoring an impressive goal and earning his side all three points, whilst Alex Mowatt in midfield pulled the strings throughout.
Brandon Thomas-Asante came on for Jed Wallace in the first half and put himself about effectively, with Cedric Kipre putting in another commanding display at the back.
And Kipre’s centre-back partner Kyle Bartley gave another impressive account of himself during this likewise run in the starting XI, with journalist Lewis Cox labelling his performance as ‘utterly dominant’.
What the stats say
Bartley made the second-most passes on the night (65) and boasted a pass success rate of 87% (Sofascore).
The 32-year-old also recorded the second-most clearances (6), also recording an interception and a block.
Kipre did most of the tackling, though Bartley won 6/6 aerial duels, more than any Baggies player on the night, with Bartley there to clear things up and keep matters at the back tidy.
Alongside Kipre, Bartley’s experience has shone through in recent weeks and after a turbulent couple of years at West Brom, with Bartley largely criticised at times, he’s now become a ley player for Corberan.
The Englishman is one of the first names on the teamsheet and he’s keeping a proven Championship defender in Semi Ajayi out of the side, which is a huge credit to him and his resurgence this season.
Bartley has already played more Championship games this season (14) than he did in the entirety of last season (13), and he looks set to play a key role as the Baggies vie for promotion.
Up next is a home game vs Leicester City this weekend.