Carlos Corberan: Tactical tweak paid off in West Brom win over Rotherham

Jed Wallace, Grady Diangana and Brandon Thomas-Asante were on target as the resurgent Baggies made it five Championship wins in a row to move up to 16th and put themselves within five points of the play-offs – with a game in hand to come on Wednesday at Coventry.

Corberan's side were comfortably the better throughout against the newly-promoted Millers as Albion returned to The Hawthorns with a win after five weeks away.

An important part of Corberan's pre-match selection was the decision to operate Tom Rogic – who alongside Daryl Dike was handed a start following long spells out the side with fitness and injury issues – in an attack-minded midfield alongside John Swift.

Corberan explained the decision placed more emphasis on Okay Yokuslu, who enjoyed yet another eye-catching display, to hold the fort as a sole defensive midfielder, while Rogic and Swift created further forward. Aussie free agent Rogic, 30, gave a glimpse of his top class with a supreme assist for Wallace's opener.

"Usually we play with Swift as a number ten and today we played him deeper," Corberan revealed.

"Rogic is a number ten and we played them both today a little bit differently because we play with one number six in Okay, and two tens – Swift and Rogic, because we thought Swift could adapt in some circumstances to this type of game."

He added of Yokuslu: "I think the level of commitment from Okay was excellent.

"Excellent. When the players switch their minds and they're ready to help the team and do the best they can do with a lot of self demanding, this is the consequence."

Corberan's team impressed particularly in the mid-point of the first half, where they worked an opener and forced a number of other efforts at goal and near misses.

The head coach added: "We started the game with determination, and we created a chance in the first minutes of the game with the pass of Dike for Rogic.

"After that it was more interrupted, with throw-ins for them and us. There were a lot of set pieces which didn't allow the team to find a tempo or intensity that we wanted.

"From minute 15 to minute 35 we showed personality and that was the consequence – the goal that we scored. We were concentrating on trying to perform to the level that this game was demanding.

"The last minutes of the first half we gave the ball to the opponent more than we should. We improved this in the second half.

"You never know what might happen in football, and so it's always important to arrive with determination, to achieve the result that you want to achieve.

"For example the penalty – the action of that third goal – it made the opponent feel that they could not get back into the game.

"Maybe they save the penalty, maybe they score one goal at 2-0 and it's different. It's very important in football to never relax in order to achieve the result you want."