"West Brom bounced back from a rough week with a gnarly victory to puncture the mood at the Championship's early pacesetters, Stoke. Ryan Mason, the head coach, had seen two key players depart in the days before this trip and had to watch from the stands as he served a touchline suspension. That did not prevent his team torpedoing Stoke's 100% start to the campaign with a win that was as hard-fought as it was deserved."
"West Brom found joy all afternoon via crosses, Johnston especially troubling the Stoke defence with deep diagonals from the left. After another cross from the former Celtic player was squirrelled away for a corner, Johansson dropped Alex Mowatt's set piece and Nat Phillips steered in the loose ball. Nat Phillips fires home the only goal of the game after a mistake from Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johansson."
"So with Mason absent from the technical area and a bumper crowd at the bet365 Stadium many predicted the visitors would be up against it. Mark Robins reverted to the same lineup that secured away wins at Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton in the league, imploring his charges to park the surprise 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Bradford in midweek. Stoke also paraded their latest signing, the Slovakian midfielder Tomas Rigo, on the pitch before kick-off."
West Brom recovered from unsettling player departures and a touchline suspension for their head coach to beat Stoke 1-0. Nat Phillips scored after Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johansson spilled a set piece from Alex Mowatt. Mikey Johnston's wide crosses repeatedly troubled Stoke and created the decisive opportunity. Stoke entered the match on a 100% start and unveiled new signing Tomas Rigo before kick-off, with a large home crowd present. Mark Robins retained the side that had achieved recent away wins and urged the team to move on from a midweek cup upset. The victory punctured Stoke's early momentum and restored belief at West Brom.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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