Plymouth Argyle 0-3 West Brom: Cedric Kipre, Mikey Johnston and Tom Fellows net in Baggies win
West Brom tightened their grasp on the fifth spot in the Championship table after they bounced back with ease and secured a 3-0 triumph against Plymouth.
West Bromwich Albion lost to Southampton on Friday in their bid for promotion, but they didn't let this defeat break their spirit. They bounced back on Tuesday night, scoring all three goals in the last half hour of the game. Cedric Kipre, Mikey Johnston who came on as a substitute, and Tom Fellows were the players who secured the victory for them.
A shot by Alex Mowatt from West Brom almost scored in the early stages of the game. He kicked the ball at an angle from far away, but it hit a player from the opposing team and bounced off the post.
Even though the next corner kick was removed from danger, a fantastic slide tackle from defender Brendan Galloway, who was back on the team, was necessary to prevent the opposing team's captain, Jed Wallace, from scoring a goal just one minute later.
During Argyle's initial notable assault, Morgan Whittaker, the top player with 18 scores, launched a cross that was effectively dealt with, however, it reached the upcoming midfielder Adam Randell, who released a powerful shot from 20 yards away that barely missed the goal.
The corner from Mowatt had an inward curve and the goalkeeper for the home team, Conor Hazard, had to use his fists to knock it away from the area where it would have counted as a goal.
Hazard stepped up with an outstanding save in the 28th minute, blocking Andreas Weimann's powerful shot on the rebound following a smart pass from Wallace in the air towards the right.
The opposing team responded by having their right wing-back, Lino Sousa, shoot the ball too high on their upcoming offensive move.
Bali Mumba, who was the defender for the home team, made a great move by stopping Weimann's volley at the 36th minute. This happened when the ball was passed back into the area from the right side by Wallace.
In the second half, West Brom began in the same manner they ended the initial half – with aggression.
Weimann nearly scored with a slanted shot while running towards the goal after receiving a brilliant pass from Fellows, which split the opposition's defensive line from the right side.
The forward took a shot without hesitation, while moving in a curve to outwit the defender. However, the ball missed the goal, and even though Hazard dived, he couldn't stop it.
Albion narrowly missed scoring a goal seven minutes into the second half when Plymouth's defense was struggling to remove the ball after an additional corner.
Nathaniel Chalobah passed the ball towards the goal, and Wallace, who was positioned near the goal box, shot the ball and it hit the post before rolling into the goal.
After 60 minutes of play, West Brom's continuous attacks finally resulted in a goal. Kipre was left unmarked and had sufficient time to use his left foot to score the ball from a short distance in the far post as Argyle was unable to clear John Swift's corner from the right.
Conor Townsend from Albion took a daring shot from a far distance of 30 yards in the 73rd minute, but unfortunately, it went over.
During the following significant attempt, substitute Johnston from Baggies team scored an outstanding solo goal, putting the visiting team ahead by 2-0 at the 76th minute.
Johnston made a quick move towards the left side, entered the penalty box, and defeated the defender Matthew Sorinola. He then powerfully shot the ball, and it went high in the air before landing inside the far corner of the net, leaving the goalkeeper, Hazard, helpless.
Grady Diangana aimed a shot from inside the penalty area, but unfortunately missed the target during the 87th minute. This occurred as Albion was attempting to score their third goal.
In the initial 60 seconds of added time, Wallace aimed a low shot which was blocked by Hazard. However, the goalkeeper was unable to firmly grasp onto the ball, leaving space for Fellows to finish off by scoring a goal.
We feel let down due to the defeat in the game, but I cannot blame or criticize the players for it.
It may seem unusual to say this despite a 3-0 loss on our home turf, but this was our third match in just six days.
We need to acknowledge the other team's skill and ability. They are a fantastic group of players, and they demonstrated that during the game tonight.
"We stood firm and defended as much as we could. We have to accept the defeat. They are one of the top teams in the Championship."
Carlos Corberan of West Brom:
We needed to wait calmly since during the break we had a score of 0-0. During the break, I encouraged them to continue with their positive performance and work on improving the areas that needed some adjustments.
In my opinion, during the latter part of the game, we generated numerous opportunities. We maintained an optimistic attitude and produced several scoring opportunities, which is always a good outcome.
Before the match, I mentioned that it would not be easy to come here and take the victory as Plymouth had only lost to Leeds at this ground since October. In fact, prior to Leeds' triumph this past weekend, Plymouth had managed to avoid defeat in their last nine league games here.
