Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City at The Hawthorns on Friday | Goals from Mikey Johnson and Grady Dianganga seal Baggies win.
Saturday 2 March 2024 07:09, UK
West Brom took a big step towards securing a spot in the Sky Bet Championship play-off places as they beat Coventry 2-1 on Friday night.
In the week their new owner, American businessman Shilen Patel, completed his takeover of the club, the Baggies celebrated with first-half goals from Mikey Johnston and Grady Diangana.
The result moves West Brom seven points clear of Norwich in seventh ahead of the rest of the weekend.
Coventry, who pulled one back in the second half through Haji Wright's penalty, remain four points adrift of the play-off places.
It took just six minutes for Johnston to get the opener, as his brilliant solo run in from the left provided him with the space to bend one into the top corner, leaving Ben Wilson completely helpless in the Coventry goal.
After 36 minutes it was two. Tom Fellows was the provider as his ball in from the right was met perfectly by Diangana, who guided just inside the post from six yards.
Deep into the second half, Coventry were gifted an unlikely lifeline as Cedric Kipre fouled Kasey Palmer in the box, and substitute Wright stepped up to slot the resulting penalty.
But there would be no equaliser, as the Sky Blues saw their top-six hopes drift a little further away.
West Brom's Carlos Corberan:
"That's why [Johnston] was our target from the beginning. He can play different positions for us. Some days he can play wide, and other days it's a playmaker inside. It's not easy to find a way who can manage both positions.
"In general we were very good in the first half. We found spaces to attack and progress with the ball. In the second half we knew they would press more. We lost a lot of balls in the middle of the pitch which didn't allow us to progress in the pitch.
"We didn't command the game well enough. I said to my players the key wasn't the result at half-time it was the result at the end of the game. We finished the game better."
Coventry's Mark Robins:
"The first half the game got away from us. We were too passive. I set the team up wrong there's no doubt. They are a strong side with a lot of Championship know how.
"Had we been more aggressive and able to contribute a little bit more we'd have been a lot better. We just didn't play a part in the game in the first half.
"The second half we were much more part of the game and had a lot of the ball and created good chances. We were then just a bit rash with the shots. We pulled a goal back and looked like we had the impetus, but then when we got into good positions we weren't clinical."
