Analysis: West Brom find their bite and showcase their potential

Up to then Steve Bruce’s side had endured something of a false start in the new Championship campaign.

There had been good performances, not resulting in the points return deserved. There had also, particularly last Wednesday at home to Cardiff, been a poor performance where deficiencies were laid bare.

It has felt, to a point, like the fixtures so far this season have been played against the backdrop of Albion’s desperate pursuit of a new striker.

Good performances, opportunities created but chances not taken as Bruce’s men relied on Karlan Grant alone as centre-forward. Grant has done well enough so far, but to be the only natural option is extremely difficult and unfair.

Those problems weren’t exactly cast aside definitively but Baggies fans at The Hawthorns basked in the glory of a first five-goal haul since ‘that’ Stamford Bridge afternoon in April 2021 – featuring the same scoreline – and the first on home turf since December 2019.

Albion’s first win of the Championship season, coming at the fifth attempt, was a rout of a team arriving unbeaten in second place.

That, ladies and gentleman, is football. This is the Championship. Few would have surely predicted a home win – nobody was calling that scoreline.

Bruce’s men were far too strong for a new-look Hull enjoying a feelgood factor under new ownership.

It was a wild, crazy, surprising and fun afternoon in the Black Country featuring six second-half goals.

At half-time the hosts had worked a deserved but not entirely convincing 1-0 lead. That important breakthrough before the interval came via an unfortunate Tigers own goal.

Hull, who were missing some key players and lost major new signing Ozan Tufan to injury early on, were still a threat in the first half and hit the crossbar after an excellent David Button save. Albion hadn’t worked countless clear-cut chances. They had forced good positions, but the visitors defended well by and large.

But, again, nobody could have predicted what would come in the second 45 minutes. Though Tigers keeper Matt Ingram was probably wary of the nightmare he endured at The Hawthorns previously, where he shipped seven goals for QPR in 2018 – almost four years on to the day.

The key in unlocking Hull and securing the three points was undoubtedly the quality, as well as the timing, of Albion’s second and third goals.

Within 10 minutes of the second period the Baggies were 3-0 ahead and the victory was all-but sealed.

The goal heroes were John Swift – showing another healthy home crowd exactly the quality he possesses and why he was one of Bruce’s top summer targets – and the unlikely figure of Darnell Furlong, with his first goal for nearly two years.

Swift, predominantly right footed, sent a left-footed arrow into the bottom corner. It was a classy strike and a glimpse into his armoury. Furlong’s strike was even sweeter, a rocket that whizzed into far corner without touching the turf.

Interestingly, there was some symmetry to the narrow defeat at Blackburn the previous weekend. At Ewood Park, the hosts scored two fine efforts from distance. They weren’t clear chances, they did not carve Albion open.

These were hardly chances for the attacking midfielder and right-back, from roughly 22 and 25 yards respectively, but they were thumped home with minimal fuss.

By the time Grant made it four with his third goal of the season from the penalty spot – after lively work from left-back Conor Townsend who was a good attacking outlet – the game was done. Captain for the day Dara O’Shea, with the armband in place of Jake Livermore, made it five either side of consolation efforts from Hull’s Colombian Oscar Estupinan. They were nothing more than blots on the copybook, but would’ve still mildly irritated Bruce.

It was a very proud day for 23-year-old academy graduate O’Shea, who Bruce has seen as ‘captain in waiting’ since the boss arrived in February. Jake Livermore’s cameo was his 200th appearance for the club, which shouldn’t be overlooked.

Albion’s standout performer once more, though, was Grady Diangana. The winger has undoubtedly been the biggest positive of this fledgling season. He was the Baggies’ star man in each of their three games in seven days.

Diangana is looking somewhere close to the loan player who lit up The Hawthorns on the way to promotion in 2020.

If Bruce can keep the flyer fit – he referenced wrapping Diangana in cotton wool – and operating at a consistent level, Albion’s chances at fighting it out near the top of the division increase. He is enjoying that role on the left of a trio involving Swift and Jed Wallace.

The 5-2 win does not suddenly mean Albion have found the key for the season ahead. It’s a start and a vital victory in terms of ending a winless start.

Bruce continues his hunt for a No.9 with Daryl Dike injured. The boss wants a bit more, too, in central midfield. Crucially, though, Albion proved there is bite with their bark as for the first time this term they made a positive display count.