West Brom were dealt a blow in their race for top six over the weekend, losing 1-0 at home to Sunderland.
West Brom welcomed Sunderland to The Hawthorns, where the Baggies were largely expected to continue their fine vein of form.
Carlos Corberan‘s side had lost just one of their previous 13 before the Sunderland game, having been in 5th place of the Championship table for several weeks now.
And the Baggies were on top straight away.
But Brandon Thomas-Asante received two yellows cards within the space of a couple of minutes shortly before the break.
Soon after, Sunderland took the lead and held on for all three points, though West Brom still have a seven-point gap to Hull City in 7th with three games of the season remaining.
Brandon Thomas-Asante red card for West Brom vs Sunderland
Thomas-Asante, 25, received the first red card of his West Brom career against Sunderland.
He picked up his first booking in the 42nd minute and his second booking in the 43rd minute.
The second yellow came after Thomas-Asante failed to control a pass, with Sunderland defender Dan Ballard rushing in to take possession.
Thomas-Asante lunged in, right in front of referee Matt Donohue who didn’t hesitate in pulling out another yellow, and then a red card.
Thomas-Asante’s challenge on Ballard was described as ‘really nasty’ by Sunderland Echo reporter Phil Smith.
Criticism emerging after Sunderland defeat
Following the defeat, West Brom fans took to X and largely vented their frustration at Thomas-Asante.
And not only was there a clamour of fans criticising the striker for being sent off, but his overall game and season to date was coming under the spotlight.
Several fans were highlighting Thomas-Asante’s poor first touch which is what lead to his second yellow cards against Sunderland.
And many have critiqued his goal-scoring record this season.
Brandon Thomas-Asante goal stats for West Brom in 2023/24
Thomas-Asante has scored 11 goals in 37 Championship appearances this season, adding to the seven he scored last time round.
An emerging criticism of Thomas-Asante is that he fails to score one-on-ones and that he needs several bites of the cherry to eventually score.
But, interestingly, Thomas-Asante has a higher shots on goal/goals ratio (0.33) than the Championship’s leading scorer Adam Armstrong (0.32, as per FBREF).
The Baggies striker also beats the Southampton man in goals/shots, with 0.15 compared to 0.13.
Brandon Thomas-Asante is a diamond in the rough
Thomas-Asante is a very physical player. He works hard for the team and puts himself about and it’s inevitable that he’ll pick up cards throughout the season.
He’s only had five yellow cards this season, obviously with two of them coming against Sunderland, but he’s no stranger to red cards having picked up two in his last full season with Salford City, the 2021/22 campaign.
So maybe that’s an area that Corberan and Thomas-Asante can work on going forward, among other areas.
But looking back at the raw striker that joined West Brom last season compared to now, Thomas-Asante has made clear improvements.
Not only is there huge pressure on him to score and lead the line, and often play in different positions, but there’s huge pressure to stay fit given injuries in the attacking department.
So criticism of Thomas-Asante stemming from the red card seems harsh, and expect the striker to be eager to prove himself in what is looking like a play-off campaign for the Baggies.