Bristol City 0 West Brom 0 - Report
It ended all square at Ashton Gate as Albion and Bristol City played out an entertaining goalless draw.
Both sides had their chances to snatch all three points on a cloudy afternoon in Bristol, with the hosts hitting the post in the first half and Harry Cornick forcing Alex Palmer into a huge block right at the death.
Baggies were disappointing before the break, but Brandon Thomas-Asante could have scored when raced through on goal only to be thwarted by a Robins defender.
Carlos Corberan's side were vastly improved after half-time, with Josh Maja making a real impact coming on just after the 60-minute mark.
They played with more tempo, and they could have led when John Swift's header hit the bar 10 minutes from time but it ended all square.
ANALYSIS
The Baggies boss made two changes from the team that lost to Huddersfield Town before the international break.
Both were in defence as Erik Pieters and Semi Ajayi came into a side that had not kept a clean sheet this season across all competitions.
In what was a quiet opening 20 minutes, Albion enjoyed most of the ball, but the Robins were threatening, with Corberan's side being careless in possession.
Nahki Wells saw two shots from tight angles whistle past Alex Palmer's post, and they had a succession of corners which Albion dealt with.
Kal Naismith went close after he showed neat footwork on the edge of the box to create a shooting opportunity, but he curled his effort over the bar.
The best chance of the half went the host's way - again it came from an Albion mistake.
Alex Palmer completely missed a clearance, and Sykes had an open goal, but his effort hit the inside of the post and bounced back into danger for Jayson Molumby to clear.
Baggies' efforts going forward were at a premium, but Thomas-Asante could have given them an undeserved lead when he raced through on goal after linking up with Jed Wallace, but Zak Vyner produced a wonderful challenge to deny him.
It was a disappointing first half for Albion, who needed to improve after the break.
And they did. They upped the tempo after the interval, and for the first time in the match they kept the home side under some consistent pressure.
They did not manage to turn that into a meaningful chance though, and the Robins still posed a threat, with Sykes forcing Palmer to tip over a header at the back post.
Josh Maja came on for Albion just after the hour mark, and he made a real impact up front with Thomas-Asante.
Albion should have led when that chance came just 10 minutes from time, Furlong with the cross and Swift headered it against the bar.
Moments later, it looked like Conor Townsend had a tap in at the back post, but he could not get his effort from a narrow angle on target.
Baggies had pushed for the majority of the half, but they had Alex Palmer to thank for their point after he produced a stunning save to deny Harry Cornick - who came on as a substitute.
WBA: Palmer, Ajayi, Kipre, Pieters, Furlong, Phillips (Townsend 65), Yokuslu (Mowatt 65), Molumby, Swift (Diangana 82), Wallace (Maja 65), Thomas-Asante (Sarmiento 82).
Subs: Griffiths, Bartley, Chalobah, Pipa.
Bristol City (4-3-3): O’Leary, Tanner, Vyner, Naismith, Pring, James, Williams, Knight, Sykes (Yeboah 79), Wells (Cornick 79), Bell (Dickie 89).
Subs: Bajic, King, Mehmeti, Roberts, Knight-Lebel, Nelson.
