West Bromwich Albion vs Swansea City. Sky Bet Championship.
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Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City at The Hawthorns on Saturday | Jayson Molumby scores as the Baggies edge past the Swans.
Saturday 31 August 2024 18:59, UK
West Brom climbed into the Sky Bet Championship's top two after continuing their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-0 win against Swansea at The Hawthorns.
Jayson Molumby's first goal for 16 months gave Albion a deserved lead in the first minute of time added on at the end of the first half.
Carlos Corberan's side dominated that first period and could easily have been four goals to the good.
But it was a different story after the break as Swansea created several chances, though Albion carved out two more scoring opportunities.
Albion - who paraded the latest two of their 11 summer signings, Mikey Johnston and Mason Holgate, before kick-off - stormed from the blocks, creating four chances in the first 10 minutes.
Tom Fellows' angled drive was palmed away by goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux after 90 seconds following a tremendous pass inside the full-back Josh Tymon by Darnell Furlong.
Josh Maja, who has started the season with four goals in as many league games, produced two headers at goal. From the first he nodded straight at Vigouroux then he glanced wide, both chances created by crosses from Karlan Grant.
West Brom claimed a penalty when Furlong went down under a challenge from Eom Ji-sung but referee Anthony Backhouse instead signalled a corner.
The hosts remained on top and Grant fired over a loose ball after Maja's shot had been pushed aside by Vigouroux.
Albion finally got the goal they deserved through Molumby. The Republic of Ireland international slid his shot into the bottom corner of the net after two lovely one-twos with Maja carved through Swansea's defence.
It was Molumby's first goal since April 2023 when his brace helped Albion win 2-1 at Stoke.
If the first half was all Albion, the second saw Swansea come into the game.
The Swans' first effort came in the 50th minute when Zan Vipotnik was put clean through by Eom but wasted his shot, firing straight at goalkeeper Alex Palmer.
They followed that up when Eom found himself clear but Furlong made a tremendous tackle and Palmer blocked the shot.
Swansea had a penalty appeal turned down in the 56th minute. Palmer caught Eom with his feet after the latter latched onto a loose ball when Goncalo Franco's shot was blocked. Franco then stabbed wide from close range from Matt Grimes' cross.
Substitute Uros Racic - making his debut - missed a golden chance to double Albion's lead in the 67th minute. The Serbian midfielder volleyed over from seven yards from another Grant cross.
Fellows blazed over after being put in the clear by Kyle Bartley before Racic's shot was tipped onto the post by Vigouroux as Albion pressed for a second goal.
West Brom's Carlos Corberan:
"I never heard the dressing room before the game at the level that I heard (today)," said Corberan.
"I was thinking 'wow - they've won'. They won because everyone was challenging the other one, everyone made very clear the mentality we wanted to put in.
"They transferred that mentality from the dressing room to the pitch and played an extraordinary 45 minutes.
"In some moments we didn't score with a combination of Karlan Grant and Josh Maja but then from a combination between Maja and Molumby we scored a very good goal.
"Because of our ambition of the team, the belief and the mentality that this group of players are creating together is very good."
Swansea's Luke Williams:
"We were blown away in the first half - the opposition were incredible.
"The players felt really restricted in the way they played and they were probably intimidated.
"We couldn't cope with them really. But up until the goal, we defended our box extremely well because the onslaught was tough.
"We have quite a number of players with quite limited Championship experience and young players who don't have a lot of experience full stop. To come here against very good opposition with an elite manager in a very nice atmosphere for the home team is tough for them, and it showed.
"But then the second half our response was incredible. I was so happy with the lads because I asked them to stop playing timidly and within themselves because the opposition and the atmosphere caused them anxiety."
