Match Reports

Albion 1-0 Swansea

An image of John Swift and Jayson Molumby celebrating a goal

Albion made it four Sky Bet Championship matches unbeaten with a 1-0 win against Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.

Carlos Corberán’s team earned all three points at The Hawthorns via Jayson Molumby’s first-half stoppage time strike, completing an impressive August in style.

The Baggies, who were indebted to Alex Palmer and his fantastic defence for another clean sheet, now have two weeks without a fixture because of the September international break.

An image of Kyle Bartley and Jayson Molumby celebrating a goal

The Head Coach named an unchanged XI for the fourth consecutive league game, however he did introduce new signings Uros Racic and Callum Styles to the bench.

And his side started brightly - almost scoring twice early on when Tom Fellows saw a low effort saved and Josh Maja headed straight into Lawrence Vigouroux’s arms.

Albion’s No.9 soon glanced another chance wide - and the energetic Molumby had one stopped - as the Baggies swarmed their visitors during the opening 10 minutes.

Swansea settled slightly - yet Albion did create a couple more opportunities, John Swift volleying wildly over and Karlan Grant side-footing off-target, before finally the breakthrough arrived just ahead of half-time.

It was a stunner, too. Fantastic play between Maja and Molumby enabled the former to set-up the latter, and the Irishman slammed home a super finish for a 1-0 lead come the break.

An image of Jayson Molumby celebrating a goal

The tables turned following the restart, though, and Swansea piled the pressure on at the start of the second 45. 

Alex Palmer was kept busy, brilliantly denying Eom Ji-Sung’s attempt to round him and Goncalo France’s close-range poke, while also holding a tame Zan Vipotnik finish. The hosts had Darnell Furlong to thank as well, the defender pulling off a goal-saving tackle after Ji-Sung looked destined to score.

But Corberán’s men weathered the storm and began creating again - substitute and debutant Uros Racic smashing narrowly over, and Fellows doing the same despite being clean through.

Callum Styles was introduced for his maiden Albion appearance towards full-time, alongside fellow substitutes Gianluca Frabotta, Lewis Dobbin and Jed Wallace.

Racic nearly grabbed a match-winning second in the final stages and then, down the other end, the Baggies had to see out six additional minutes - which they did successfully to claim their third victory this season.

Albion: Palmer; Furlong, Ajayi, Bartley, Heggem (Frabotta 83); Molumby (Racic 66), Mowatt; Fellows (Wallace 74), Swift, Grant (Styles 83); Maja (Dobbin 74).

Substitutions: Wildsmith, McNair, Diakite, Cole.

Attendance: 24,975 (1,787).