Player Ratings and Match Highlights

West Brom and Southampton played out a goalless draw in the first leg of their Championship playoff semi-final. Both sides had fleeting opportunities, but the game ended in a stalemate at the Hawthorns.

A cagey first 45 minutes saw few chances fall the way of either side, although both teams showed intent going forward. Grady Diangana went close for the hosts, while Adam Armstrong failed to convert a difficult opportunity from a rebound. Neither side looked content with a draw as each set of players displayed their appetite to go forward.

The second half followed a similar pattern with Diangana once again going close with a low-driven effort and Ross Stewart almost getting the better of the West Brom goalkeeper with a deflected shot. However, it will be advantage to the Saints as they head into their home fixture with the scoreline level.

West Brom Player Ratings

GK – Alex Palmer – 7/10

Denied the biggest goalscoring opportunity of the first half as he kept out Downes’ effort from close range. Dealt well with balls into the box and used his feet well when called upon. Palmer made a huge save to keep the visitors out after a deflected effort in the final 15 minutes.

RB – Darnell Furlong – 6/10

Furlong linked up well with Fellows in front of him, both by supplying passes to his winger and being available on the overlap when required. The full-back went close to finding the back of the net after connecting with Johnston’s cross at the back post.

CB – Kyle Bartley – 8/10

The experienced defender showed his intelligence on multiple occasions by using his body to block the many forward runs made by opposing midfielders and attackers. Bartley got his head and foot in when required to ease the pressure on his team. He will be a huge miss if the injury he picked up keeps him out of the reverse fixture.

CB – Cedric Kipre – 6/10

Kipre stepped in well to thwart some dangerous-looking Southampton attacks. He worked well in a pair with Bartley to prevent the runners into the box from advancing into shooting positions.

LB – Conor Townsend – 5/10

It was a tough game for the left-back, who struggled to contain the lively Walker-Peters. He played some neat and tidy passes when he had the ball, however, and ultimately helped his side keep a clean sheet.

CM – Okay Yokuslu – 7/10

The holding midfielder protected his backline extremely well with his ability to sniff out danger and position himself in the best place possible. He kept it simple in possession as Yokuslu played short passes to his attack-minded teammates.

CM – Alex Mowatt – 6/10

Played in a slightly more advanced role than his midfield partner but still had to do a lot of defensive work in the engine room as the away team took control of the lion’s share of possession. Mowatt’s passing was positive, and he helped relieve the pressure on his side with his composure.

RW – Tom Fellows – 7/10

Used his incredible speed to break in behind Manning on several occasions, but his final ball into the area could have been slightly better. Overall, he was a threat throughout with his determination to get the ball out of his feet and into the penalty area.

AM – Grady Diangana – 6/10

Diangana was a nightmare for the Saints midfield and defence to deal with. The attack-minded player went closest in the opening half with a close range header after a bright start to the game. His dancing feet helped him wriggle into space numerous times.

LW – Mikey Johnston – 6/10

As always, the winger was a nuisance for the Saints’ backline to deal with. Johnston’s willingness to drive directly at the opposition is always hard to defend and this was no different. The loanee didn’t quite have his shooting boots on as his final finish or pass wasn’t quite on point multiple times.

ST – Brandon Thomas-Asante – 5/10

The striker held the ball up well but struggled to get too involved against three central defenders. Thomas-Asante did create space for the wide players and Diangana as he occupied multiple defenders at once with his movement.

SUB – Semi Ajayi – N/A

Brought on to replace the injured Yokulu, Ajayi slotted in alongside Kipre and Bartley at the heart of the defence and did well to keep the visitors out.

SUB – John Swift – N/A

Instantly got involved in the game, pressing the backline and picking the ball up after an error from McCarthy. Opted to pass instead of shooting and the attack came to nothing ultimately.

SUB – Yann M’Vila – N/A

Slotted into the middle of the park well but had little time to have a telling impact.

SUB – Jed Wallace – N/A

Forced the opposing goalkeeper into a mistake moments after his introduction and continued to press the opposition when out of possession in his short cameo.

Southampton Player Ratings

GK – Alex McCarthy – 7/10

Made a big save in the first half, shuffling along his goal-line well to prevent Diangana’s point-blank header. McCarthy was largely unthreatened throughout the rest of the game but added much-needed experience to the Saints’ ranks.

RB – Kyle Walker-Peters – 7/10

Got forward on every occasion possible to good effect. Walker-Peters caused Townsend many issues as he played almost like a winger, and he went extremely close to opening the scoring with a strong drive into the penalty area before seeing his effort deflected wide.

CB – Taylor Harwood-Bellis – 6/10

Always looked to play the ball forward when he had the ball at his feet and did well to deal with Johnston and Diangana when they drifted inside the right wing-back.

CB – Jan Bednarek – 6/10

Marshalled the Saints backline really well and gave Thomas-Asante very little space to work in. Bednarek did look shaky when passing out from the back in the opening exchanges but soon found his composure.

CB – Jack Stephens – 5/10

Started the game in sloppy fashion as he gave the ball away far too easily on several occasions. The defender did well to recover after those early errors. Stephens popped up in midfield on occasions to give his side an overload and make life difficult for the West Brom players to mark him.

LWB – Ryan Manning – 5/10

Manning was caught napping on a couple of occasions defensively but worked hard to get up and down the left flank for his side.

CM – Will Smallbone – 6/10

Like the rest of his teammates, Smallbone took a while to warm up into the game but got to grips with the West Brom midfield and looked to provide an extra man going forward. Worked well with Downes in the middle of the park.

CM – Flynn Downes – 7/10

Worked tirelessly in the middle of the park for the away side. Downes was unlucky not to give his side the lead after breaking from midfield in the first half.

AM – Joe Aribo – 7/10

The ex-Rangers man linked the midfield to the attack really well as he used his dribbling ability to drag his team forward. Aribo looked to get ahead of his strikers at times, causing yet more issues for Bartley and co.

ST – Adam Armstrong – 6/10

Playing as the main centre-forward, Armstrong worked hard to get involved in the match as much as possible but struggled against the duo of Kipre and Bartley. He had a chance in the first half but was unable to direct the ball into the net from a tight angle.

ST – Sekou Mara – 5/10

Mara struggled to get too heavily involved despite his brilliant work rate. The forward went close with an acrobatic effort in the opening 45 minutes but had very few sights of goal otherwise.

SUB – Ross Stewart – 6/10

Almost had an instant impact as he latched onto a long ball over the top and forced an excellent save from the West Brom ‘keeper with a deflected shot on goal.

SUB – Ryan Fraser – N/A

The winger struggled to get too involved in his 15-minute cameo after replacing Manning.

SUB – David Brooks – N/A

Brooks wasn’t able to have a telling impact on proceedings after being brought on in an attempt to attack the West Brom goal.

Man of the Match

Kyle Bartley

Both goalkeepers could have staked a claim on the Man of the Match honour as the game ended in stalemate. However, the home side’s captain was instrumental in his team keeping the Saints out as he was continually seen barking instructions at his fellow defenders.

Bartley has experience of playing Premier League football and his display was that of a player determined to get back into the top-flight of English football. The central defender appeared to be in the right place at the right time on many occasions.