West Bromwich Albion vs Fulham. Sky Bet Championship.
The HawthornsAttendance20,079.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between West Brom and Fulham at The Hawthorns as Callum Robinson scores the only goal of the game for Steve Bruce's side on Tuesday night
Tuesday 15 March 2022 23:32, UK
Fulham's runaway charge to the Sky Bet Championship title was checked as West Brom outplayed them to win 1-0 at the Hawthorns.
Callum Robinson's 63rd-minute goal was scant reward for a dominant performance from the Baggies, who won at home for the first time under new manager SteveBruce.
Defeat for Fulham was only their second in 14 Championship games, and ended a run of 10 away league games unbeaten from October 2, 2021 when they lost 4-1 at Coventry.
The Cottagers failed to score for the first time in 2022 - 14 league games - and the last time they failed to find the net in the Championship was December 20.
West Brom dominated the first half so much that they left the field to a standing ovation from their supporters, and it was a similar story after the break.
Chances came swiftly and easily. Conor Townsend's deep cross was met by Taylor Gardner-Hickman and his header deflected wide off Antonee Robinson.
The Baggies continued to threaten and Karlan Grant flashed a low, angled shot into the side-netting after Robinson threaded him behind Fulham's defence.
West Brom threatened with a more direct route as Darnell Furlong's throw-in flicked off Semi Ajayi into the arms of goalkeeper Marek Rodak.
The hosts had a penalty appeal waved aside in the 28th minute when Harrison Reed made no contact with a bouncing ball but clipped Alex Mowatt as he tried to control it.
West Brom continued to control the game and grew in confidence, forcing successive saves from Rodak.
First the Slovakian goalkeeper blocked Grant's shot with his legs after a hooked pass from Robinson, whose effort went the same way after cutting inside Tosin Adarabioyo.
The half ended with Rodak pushing away a cross from Townsend before cheers greeted the half-time whistle.
West Brom continued where they left off, starting the second half with a glancing header from Grant smothered by Rodak.
Fulham's first threat of any kind did not come until the 56th minute when Fabio Carvalho cut inside from the left and sent a low, curling effort skidding just wide.
Harry Wilson curled fractionally wide from just inside the box as Fulham finally started to come into the game.
But any momentum they had gained vanished as West Brom took a deserved lead.
Antonee Robinson carelessly gave the ball away to Grant, who threaded Callum Robinson through to slot past Rodak from a tight angle.
Aleksandar Mitrovic and Nathaniel Chalobah both sent efforts wide for the visitors but it was not Fulham's night.
West Brom's Steve Bruce: "We've taken seven points out of nine and now the pressure is on all of us at Bristol City on Saturday. Can we repeat that performance? Who knows?" There are probably too many teams chasing but we have to win at Bristol on Saturday before the international break."
"There have been a few harsh truths spoken. It was not acceptable and I think they realised that too with the performance against Swansea. You can get beaten but it's the manner of it that counts and since then it's been better. Maybe that was the low point. I hope it is anyway."
Fulham's Marco Silva: "It was not good enough. In the first half we were not here - it was just our shirts on the pitch. I don't want to be unfair on West Brom because they were the best team and they deserved to win. We didn't express ourselves, and they did what we expected. Marek (Rodak) kept us in the game.
"In the second half it was a little bit different. We had a big chance with Mitro where we should have equalised. I don't believe the job is done. I'm sure the players are not thinking this way."
