West Brom keeps Ipswich scoreless in big win
West Bromwich Albion inflicted just a second Championship defeat of the season on Ipswich Town and became the first team to stop the Tractor Boys scoring in a league match as it ran out a comfortable 2-0 winner.
Darnell Furlong headed the hosts in front after just five minutes from Matt Phillips’s corner. Albion started the second half quickly, too, and doubled the advantage in the 47th minute through a well-worked counter-attack finished off by Grady Diangana.
It was a night when the Baggies only strengthened their own promotion credentials against Kieran McKenna’s high-flyers.
While fellow pace-setter Leicester City returned to winning ways earlier in the day with a straightforward victory over Watford, Ipswich was also motivated by Leeds United dropping points at Rotherham United and the opportunity to extend the gap to the chasing pack.
It was behind, though, within five minutes at The Hawthorns. Jed Wallace’s excellent cross from the right was just out of reach of Brandon Thomas-Asante, but the hosts nodded themselves in front from the subsequent corner. Phillips delivered to the near post and Furlong tore away to meet it before glancing the ball into the far corner.
Albion had conceded just a single goal across its past five home matches before this clash so Ipswich, which had lost just one of its first 16 league outings on its return to the Championship, would have to produce what many of its rivals had failed to.
West Brom, under Carlos Corberan, is mounting a top-six effort of its own and can be a belligerent unit on home soil.
McKenna’s side had few openings in the first half in which the home side was content to allow the visitors to see more of the ball. They were then sucker-punched at the beginning of the second half.
From its own corner, Ipswich was undone. West Brom broke away from deep inside its own half and the front three of Wallace, Thomas-Asante and Diangana combined. Thomas-Asante slipped Diangana in, inside the area, and he applied the finishing touch.
West Brom really should have killed the game moments later. Wallace was again sent sprinting down the right and he sprung into the penalty area. The Albion captain’s low cross ought to have been tapped in from close range by fellow winger Phillips, but he actually diverted the ball away from goal.
It would not prove costly as West Brom was good value for victory and might have won by more, but what it did produce was enough to send it up to fifth spot.
