West Brom 4 Blackburn 1 - Report

Carlos Corberan's men built on the Aldershot FA Cup success mostly thanks to an exhilarating first half against the out-of-sort Lancashire visitors as the hosts powered into a 3-0 lead by 33 minutes.

Rovers nicked one back on the hour but the excellent Brandon Thomas-Asante re-established the three-goal lead shortly afterwards with what might have been hit hat-trick but for Albion's third goal going down as Dom Hyam's own goal.

Youngster Tom Fellows was excellent again and opened the scoring in a sensational first half for the winger. Thomas-Asante added a second after Hyam's error and looked to have bagged the third seconds later, but it went down as a scrappy own goal.

The second half was less convincing but didn't need to be with the game won by half hour. It was the perfect tonic to New Year's disappointment in Swansea, back at home where Albion under Corberan are supreme and assisted a feelgood factor brought by progressing takeover talk.

Thomas-Asante was magnificent, with supreme displays by Alex Mowatt, Darnell Furlong and Cedric Kipre, too, as Albion put five points between themselves and seventh-placed Sunderland - for now, with Black Cats in action against Ipswich later. It was Albion's third three-goal winning margin or more in the league under Corberan. Blackburn slumped to 18th.

Corberan was able to call on John Swift to operate in the central attacking role behind Thomas-Asante after Swift had missed the last two squads and not started since starring against Norwich on Boxing Day.

Skipper Jed Wallace was only well enough for a place on the bench, along with Daryl Dike, which meant a first start for Adam Reach - himself recently back from a long-term setback - since April 1 last year. Youngster Fellows, 20, started for a third game running.

Fenton Heard, starlet from the FA Cup canter against Aldershot Town last weekend, was named on the bench in the league for the first time, one of six academy graduates, including Jovan Malcolm, who also netted against the Shots.

Visitors Blackburn, struggling with just one league win in eight, were already patched-up with a lack of availability and lost the division's top scorer Sammie Szmodics and regular left-back Harry Pickering to illness.

Boss Jon Dahl Tomasson was only able to name eight subs, though within that he did recall Aynsley Pears, Sam Gallagher and Joe Rankin-Costello.

Albion started brightly and with purpose. Fellows was busy on one flank, as was Reach on the other with Okay Yokuslu and Mowatt pulling strings in the middle.

Reach headed Fellows' cross strongly at busy keeper Leopold Wahlstedt, who was in for a very testing afternoon.

The Baggies looked especially sharp down their right as Furlong and Fellows combined well and it was from that side, albeit from a dead ball, the opener came on 11 minutes.

Furlong's missile long throw-in might have been touched on by the head of Kyle Bartley but chaos ensued and Fellows darted in to win the back-post race to head in bravely from two years amid Sondre Tronstad's flying boot for his first career league goal.

Clear chances were at a premium but Rovers looked there to be got at time and again. They stuck to their principles of passing football from deep but Albion were ready to hit on the press through Fellows, Reach and Thomas-Asante. Behind them, the midfield duo won every second ball.

Swift had a sticky start and looked out of rhythm and volleyed a very difficult chance over from inside the box from Mowatt's fine pass. The tough opening dropped over Swift's shoulder.

Wahlstedt was lively to clear outside the box and then held on Bartley's flick in one-way traffic before Rovers' tried to threaten a response, only for Adam Wharton's weak off-target effort when well-placed.

Then, on half hour, the floodgates opened in a forgettable couple of minutes for away skipper Hyam.

Hyam woefully headed a nothing ball into the path of Thomas-Asante, fresh from an Aldershot breather, but the striker still had plenty to do.

He surged towards the edge of the box and, slightly right, powered in a low finish from 18 yards into the far corner for a wonderful second.

Three minutes later, the ex-Salford man thought he had added to a ninth goal of the season with his 10th as Rovers collapsed.

A corner from the right was worked shortly to Mowatt, who had time and space and his effort from the edge of the box - again possibly via a Bartley flick - was too hot for Swede Wahlstedt to handle.

His weak parry caught the tangle of legs between Thomas-Asante and Hyam from close range and dribbled over the line, seemingly with a final touch off the defender.

Blackburn seemed to stir in the final five minutes of the half but the electric Fellows lashed wide at the near post hunting a fourth. Only blots on the Baggies copybook were cautions for both Bartley and Kipre, who was otherwise excellent.

The second period was a slow burner, with Blackburn starting the brighter, to the frustration of the home crowd.

Fellows was this time denied a fourth from Swift's pass but Rovers were on top and had a well-taken goal back through Garrett, who curled in from 18 yards after tip-toeing through.

It stirred Albion. Corberan had introduced Nathaniel Chalobah and Pipa and were better for it.

The hosts restored their three-goal three minutes later and this time there was no doubting Thomas-Asante's goal. Townsend lobbed a recycled corner back in and Furlong climbed to head across the box for the striker to crash a finish into the ground and high into the net.

Pipa turned a tough chance over at the far post as the hosts hunted five before Kipre was unlucky to see a fine header ruled out for offside.

Corberan was able to hand useful minutes to Wallace, Dike and Caleb Taylor and Dike almost made it a perfect finale but his effort flew inches wide before Pipa went just as close as the Baggies won at a canter.

Teams

Albion (4-2-3-1): Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, Kipre (Taylor, 58), Townsend; Yokuslu (Wallace, 78), Mowatt; Fellows, Swift (Chalobah, 58), Reach (Pipa, 58); Thomas-Asante (Dike, 78).

Subs not used: Griffiths, Pieters, Heard, Malcolm.

Blackburn Rovers (4-3-3): Wahlstedt, Brittain, Carter, Hyam (c), S Wharton (Rankin-Costello, 62); A Wharton, Garrett, Tronstad; Sigurdsson, Moran, Leonard (Gallagher, 62).

Subs not used: Pears, Gamble, Markanday, Telalovic, Ayari, Chrisene.

Attendance: 24,409 (1,258 Blackburn fans)

Referee: Stephen Martin