West Brom suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Norwich at The Hawthorns at the weekend.
Robbie Brady struck the only goal of the game in the 50th minute after Matt Jarvis mis-hit his effort.
Brady’s goal was the only shot on target in the entire 90 minutes, but Claudio Yacob came closest for Albion with a fizzing drive which rattled the woodwork. Stephane Sessegnon also fired wide from a tight angle but neither goalkeeper had a busy afternoon.
The loss was West Brom’s first home defeat since December and Tony Pulis’ side remain in 11th.
The win secured a vital three points for Norwich, as it helped them move out of the bottom three.
After the international break, the Baggies face a trip to relegation-threatened Sunderland on April 2nd.
Here are four things we found from the loss at the hands of the Canaries.
Do you agree with our points? Let us know in the comments section below.
Gareeth McAuley
The defender became Albion’s oldest outfield player at 36 years and 105 days old, overtaking Bob Taylor.
McAuley still looks as if he has another few seasons in him, but he still has a long way to go to achieve Dean Kiely’s club record of 38 years and 226 days.
The Northern Irishman has been an excellent servant to the club and deserves all of the praise he gets.
End of season performance
West Brom certainly played like a side that had already achieved their goal and had nothing to play for. This would infuriate Pulis as he always demands the best out of his team.
However, perhaps we can allow the side a lethargic display once in a while and hopefully the side will come out with a better attitude at The Stadium of Light.
The end to last season was fantastic; Pulis will be aiming for something similar this time around.
Typical Albion
After beating the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal at The Hawthorns this season, the Baggies did what they do best and lost to a team they were expected to beat.
After collecting 10 points from the last four games, a victory against Norwich seemed an achievable task.
That said, nothing can ever be certain as an Albion fan.
Time to give the youth a chance
With seven games remaining and survival all but confirmed, it is surely the perfect time to blood some of the young crop of players.
Tyler Roberts will be hopeful to show Pulis and the supporters what he can do.
Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford is a prime example of how giving a young player a chance can benefit the side massively.