The reaction to today’s 1-1 draw at home to Millwall is likely to be mixed. Some fans may be happy with the point, feeling that the players had done well, whilst others will be frustrated at the wasted opportunities and may view the end result as two points dropped.
Whichever side you find yourself on, you have to admit that the Baggies weren’t at their best this afternoon.
Kenneth Zohore already has a lot of pressure on his shoulders following his £8M switch from Cardiff, but now that he’s two games without a goal, people are beginning to wonder whether signing him was a mistake.
He should have buried a chance that came to him in the first half, where he was point-blank range from goal, yet still managed to hit it straight at the keeper.
There are also question marks about Sam Johnstone, who many will point the finger at for the goal we conceded. He should have come out and caught the ball, but instead, he hesitated, and Matt Smith couldn’t have had it easier to score.
With that said, here’s how I think the players did today.
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Sam Johnstone - 5
He should have done better against Matty Cash at Forest last week, and he should have done better against Matt Smith at the Hawthorns today. Questionable goalkeeping.
Nathan Ferguson - 6
Defended reasonably well and provided an extra attacking outlet through his marauding runs down the right flank.
Kyle Bartley - 7
Kyle Bartley’s headed effort that ended up in the back of the net was ultimately credited as an Alex Pearce own goal, but the 28-year-old has shown marked signs of improvement over the past couple of games.
Semi Ajayi - 6
Gave away some unnecessary fouls and looked a bit flustered under pressure, but on the whole, he played pretty well.
Kieran Gibbs - 7
Linked up very well with Kyle Edwards on the left flank, and the pair troubled the Lions defence down that side for much of the game.
Jake Livermore - 7
Rocky start to the match but he ultimately controlled the midfield alongside Sawyers.
Romaine Sawyers - 7
Romaine must have been feeling a lot of nerves going into this game as it was his first game back at the Hawthorns, but, fortunately, he was up to par and did well alongside Livermore.
Kyle Edwards- 7
Yet again, Edwards was a real thorn in the side of the opposition, and they couldn’t handle him for much of the game. He weaved in and out of their defence multiple times, and was unlucky not to break through for a shot.
Matt Phillips - 7
Phillips played very well in this game, like he did against Forest, but was unable to get on the scoresheet this time round. He whipped in some sweet crosses that troubled the Lions’ defence, and even bagged the assist for Bartley/Alex Pearce’s goal.
Filip Krovinovic - 8
Krovinovic had a sublime first half and saw his shot end up in the back of the net, but it was disallowed due to an offside in the build-up. He’s certainly one to watch this season.
Kenneth Zohore - 4
Many fans excused his mediocre performance last week by saying that he held the ball up well – there was none of that this week. Wasted several opportunities, got yelled at by team-mates for not being alert (Sawyers and Krovinovic), and didn’t pose any real threat throughout the match.
Hal Robson-Kanu (Sub - 58') - 6
Almost scored as soon as he came on and worked a lot better with the attackers than Zohore.
Oliver Burke (Sub - 80') - 6
Injected some pace into the game after we conceded and we looked a lot more dangerous with him on the pitch.
Chris Brunt (Sub - 86') - N/A
Didn’t really have enough time to make a difference.