West Bromwich Albion picked up a hard-fought win away at Norwich City on Wednesday night as Ryan Mason’s side momentarily got their stuttering Championship season back on track in Norfolk.
Only four points off the top of the league now after narrowly securing the three points through a 1-0 victory, Mason will hope his promotion-dreaming team can push on and pick up some more early season wins soon, with games against Millwall and Preston North End up next in the second tier.
It was certainly a night to remember for Josh Maja, with a first start of the season for the usually injury-ravaged centre-forward resulting in his first strike of the campaign also quickly following.
It was a typical poacher-like finish from the ex-Sunderland man, with a tricky run by Samuel Iling-Junior thankfully not going to waste, as the experienced attacker enjoyed a great return to form versus the Canaries.
Maja's standout night
Aune Heggebo would fall to the substitutes bench as the experience of the 26-year-old was preferred over the promise of the new Norwegian recruit.
It was a smart call by Mason in the end, with West Brom having to be potent in front of goal to secure a slim away day win.
Minutes played
60
Goals scored
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
Touches
19
Accurate passes
7/8 (88%)
Amazingly, Maja’s only shot of the night was the one that beat Vladan Kovačević in the Norwich goal, with the injury-prone forward also only needing a mere 19 touches of the ball to leave his mark on the contest.
Sky Sports’ Jobi McAnuff would sum it up nicely when labelling Maja as a player known for “making a difference”, as the clinical striker now aims to be free of the Hawthorns treatment room to try and match, or even, surpass his 12-goal tally from last season.
However, if it wasn’t for a stern defensive performance in Norfolk, West Brom might have well crumbled late on, with Josh Griffiths hailed as having a “coming of age” moment by journalist Lewis Cox when completing four vital saves in between the sticks.
He wasn’t the only very impressive figure at the back, however, with one defensive titan arguably putting in an even better display than the returning Maja.
West Brom star was even better than Maja
Come the end of the tense game, it was clear that the entire team picked by Mason all contributed to a gutsy three points being secured.
In particular, former Liverpool colossus Nathaniel Phillips stood out at Carrow Road, with the 6-foot-3 centre-back keen to make amends on the road after a late own-goal robbed his team of a win against Leicester City last time out on home soil.
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
77
Accurate passes
51/59 (88%)
Clearances
10
Tackles
3
Total duels
7/11
While Maja showed off his goalscoring prowess with an instinctive finish, before then waiting on scraps to come his way, Phillips shone throughout, winning seven duels and making ten clearances, keeping the likes of Josh Sargent for the hosts quiet.
Away from living up to his tag as a “monster” in the air that was handed to him by Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, the towering 28-year-old would also display a necessary composure on the ball in heated moments, with 51 accurate passes tallied up from his 77 touches of the ball.
Truthfully, minus that own-goal hiccup against the Foxes, Phillips has been very impressive in the demanding Championship so far this season, winning 5.8 duels per game, further reinforcing his no-nonsense approach.
Yet – as was visible at Carrow Road – he has also been unerring with his passes out from the back, as seen in an 89% pass accuracy being averaged as well.
Express and Star journalist Jonny Drury dished out a high 8/10 rating to the Baggies number 3 off the back of another assured showing, with Drury simply stating that the 28-year-old was “so solid” once more.
Mason will know he needs both Maja and Phillips to continue delivering, with West Brom’s chances of clinching promotion glory largely resting on the experienced pairing being able to grind out more results together like this 1-0 success.