Carlos Corberan explains changes in comfortable West Brom win amid "massive respect" for Rotherham

The Baggies put themselves within touching distance of rubber-stamping play-off action at the end of the season with first-half goals from Brandon Thomas-Asante and a controversial John Swift penalty.

Albion were decent value for their win to go 10 games unbeaten, albeit not near their best, against the plucky visitors whose relegation to League One was confirmed last time out.

Corberan made four changes to a freshened-up Albion side that draw at Stoke last time out as Yann M'Vila made a full debut, with a rare start too for the impressive Adam Reach at left-back. Regulars Alex Mowatt and Conor Townsend were unused substitutes and in-form Grady Diangana only played a reduced role from the bench. Captain Jed Wallace missed out through illness, as returning striker Josh Maja took his spot in the squad and made a late cameo back from injury.

Albion's head coach said in the case of Mowatt and Townsend it was two players who needed a break to restore performance levels, while improving the group generally with important minutes for squad players.

"I didn't manage the game as squad rotation, I managed it as a game to use all our resources," Corberan said.

"Previously Mowatt has been playing (with) consistency and this rest will help him recover because in the last games I haven't seen his (best) level. Something similar with Townsend, because I didn't see him as fresh with as much impact as I know he can do.

"It's not about rotation, it's about using everything you have to have everybody ready for the better of the team, this is what we need.

"It's true Grady has been (playing) very well and he was the player I tried to refresh (rest), but the others were about what I think they deserve and what the team needs."

Albion led midway through the first half as Thomas-Asante finished from close range from Reach's cross after an excellent pass from Mikey Johnston.

The lead was doubled in highly controversial circumstances as referee Geoff Eltringham somehow saw Lee Peltier handball a Thomas-Asante strike from inside the box – when the incident clearly occurred three yards outside the penalty area and might have struck the Millers' man's head.

The second half was a non-event as Albion went nine points clear of seventh with four games to go, and with just 15 points for Coventry and Preston to play for.

The decision left away boss Leam Richardson deeply unhappy and, though Corberan said he hasn't watched the incident back, the level of protestation told the story.

"I didn't see the action back," Corberan said. "I knew from the level of the protests from the players and the staff, I understood that there was no doubt that it was the wrong decision. In these situations, you always you want fair decisions.

"Later in the game there was another decision, maybe a foul on Asante inside the box, that the referee didn't whistle.

"If the referee did something wrong, he can, let's say, compensate for this, but during the year, unfortunately the referees haven't had the support to guarantee the right or wrong decisions. Live, they need to make quick decisions.

"Sometimes they make mistakes because everyone does. It happens in your favour sometimes, sometimes not. We have, this year, received a lot of wrong decisions against us, which we don't want in the same way we don't want any type of advantage in the decision.

"If the action wasn't a penalty, it's a pity, but hopefully it's a compensation of something that we have suffered from before."

The doomed Millers have endured an awful Championship campaign having won just four of 42 league games this term and not seen success on the road since November 2022. Just 179 hardy Rotherham fans made the trip from South Yorkshire.

Corberan, though, couldn't have been more impressed with the attitude and level of competition from the visitors and felt the way they performed typified the culture of British football and makes it different to anywhere else in the world.

"First of all before I start I would like to tell you what I think – today I have a lot of respect for Rotherham, their staff and players, because they are relegated but showed a massive respect for football," added Albion's head coach.

"This is the difference, part of the British culture in football, a high-level respect. It is not important if you are relegated or not, the teams are going to be competitive. This is for me, why football in England is different to other places in the world.

The last game Rotherham won was against Millwall three games ago. Millwall yesterday beat Leicester, this is the Championship – I cannot give you a better example."