Full time: West Brom 2-1 Stoke City
Dwight Gayle scored twice either side of half-time to give West Brom a deserved 2-0 lead before Erik Pieters scored a late consolation goal for Stoke City.
Gayle opened the scoring after 16 minutes, collecting a Kieran Gibbs pass before rounding goalkeeper Jack Butland. He doubled the advantage soon after the break before Stoke substitute Benik Afobe saw a penalty come off the bar with 20 minutes to go.
Pieters bagged a consolation goal in injury time but it was too little too late as West Brom held onto crucial three points on Saturday.
West Brom Player Ratings
Sam Johnstone – 7/10
Commanded his box well and collected the balls with ease. He made a good save to deny Bruno Martins Indi.
Craig Dawson – 7/10
Dawson defended really well, especially against the lanky Peter Crouch. His passing was good too on his return to the Albion starting XI.
Ahmed Hegazi – 7/10
Had few shaky moments when Stoke pressed high but on the whole, the Egyptian was solid at the back.
Kyle Bartley – 7/10
Bartley gave the Stoke strikers very little room to breathe. Added a lot of physicality to West Brom’s rearguard.
Kieran Gibbs – 7/10
Gibbs was excellent going forward, setting up the first goal. He once again proved why he is such a valuable player to Darren Moore’s squad.
Matt Phillips – 7/10
Phillips offered flair and creativity from his wing-back role. His crosses into the box were a treat. Also showed great defensive diligence.
Jake Livermore – 8/10
Other than his handball for the penalty, Livermore had a terrific game. Bossed the midfield with his passing ability and shielded the backline with ease.
Chris Brunt – 7/10
Brunt managed to close the gaps very well. Worked his socks off in the middle of the park and stung Butland’s palms with a vicious shot.
Harvey Barnes – 7/10
Barnes was a menace for the Stoke defenders, with his pace and directness causing relentless problems. He was unlucky not to score.
Jay Rodriguez – 6/10
Rodriguez looked off the pace but his work-ethic was excellent as usual.
Dwight Gayle – 9/10
Gayle was just buzzing throughout the game. His finishing was absolutely lethal as he bagged a brace. An injury prevented him from getting a much-deserved hat-trick.
Substitutes
Hal Robson-Kanu – 5/10
Replaced Gayle with 20 minutes to go and worked hard to push Stoke back when they chased the game.
Read more: Moore to make 10 changes – Strongest 3-4-2-1 West Brom XI to face Stoke City in the Championship
Gareth Barry – N/A
Replaced Barnes in the 85th minute. He had very little time to make an impact.
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