A controversial penalty proved to be the turning point as Birmingham came from behind to beat West Brom 3-1 at St. Andrew’s.

Cedric Kipre’s clumsy lunge on Koji Miyoshi was deemed a spot-kick by referee James Linington and Juninho Bacuna equalised in the 23rd minute.

From that moment, John Eustace’s side did not look back and Dion Sanderson headed Blues in front in the 38th minute before substitute Gary Gardner grabbed a third with an 87th-minute free-kick.

That seemed a long way off in the sixth minute when John Swift put West Brom ahead with his sixth goal of the season.

The 28-year-old forward coolly passed the ball into the net first time from 20 yards from Grady Diangana’s square ball, the shot going in off the post.

The timing and precision of the strike meant goalkeeper John Ruddy had no chance of saving Swift’s second goal of the week.

Some City fans thought they had equalised in the 12th minute but Miyoshi’s shot ripped high into the side netting from a tight angle after Jay Stansfield headed Juninho Bacuna’s corner across goal.

Birmingham were level in the 23rd minute with a penalty which was hotly disputed by West Brom’s players.

At first glance the decision looked harsh as Miyoshi was falling anyway before Kipre’s lunge on him, but there was a follow-through from the latter which presumably made up the mind of referee Linington.

Bacuna made no mistake from the spot for his first Championship goal of the season, sending his kick low to the left of Alex Palmer, who dived the opposite way, and perfectly inside the post.

In a typical derby, action swung from end to end and a bouncing header from West Brom’s Alex Mowatt was held by Ruddy.

But it was Blues who dominated the rest of the half. The lively Bacuna saw a low shot deflect just wide off Kyle Bartley before John Eustace’s side took the lead in the 38th minute.

Sanderson guided a header high into the net from Cody Drameh’s deep cross after West Brom partly cleared a corner.

Sanderson, the former Wolves academy graduate, ran in front of the West Brom fans to celebrate enthusiastically.

West Brom wasted a golden chance to equalise in the 59th minute. Darnell Furlong slid in unmarked at the far post to meet Matt Phillips’ cross but his shot from six yards out flew inches wide.

Furlong had another chance soon afterwards but his far-post header flew straight at Ruddy.

But Blues need not have worried as Gardner curled home a delightful free-kick to seal Blues’ second home win in a week after Kipre was booked for bringing down substitute Scott Hogan in the D.

Xisco Munoz apologised to Sheffield Wednesday’s supporters and said he would give it “until my last second” after a 1-0 defeat at West Brom left the Sky Bet Championship’s bottom team with the worst start in their history.

John Swift’s 13th-minute goal left the Owls with an eighth loss from the first 10 games of the Sky Bet Championship season, and they are already seven points adrift of the safety line.

Manager Munoz, 43, who led Watford to the Premier League in 2020-21, has taken just two points all season and none have come outside Yorkshire. Wednesday are also without a goal in 312 minutes of football.

“I understand the fans and I can only say sorry because it’s tough for everybody,” said the Spaniard.

“But as a manager, I can say we will continue until my last second.

“This is my life and I try to give my best to my players until my last minute.”

Munoz suggested he is running out of options after trying different permutations.

“We tried to change the formation and the players – I have used 24 or 25 players this season,” he added.

“We can play 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 5-3-2 but right now, we’re not finding the solutions.”

Munoz insisted he will keep persevering trying to find a winning formula.

“We need to continue trying to find what is better for us, we need to find which players we can use for the next game, what can hurt the opponent and how we can make better of these situations,” added the Spaniard.

“We played against a difficult style and a good team but the difference was nothing.”

West Brom made it five games unbeaten, during which they have kept four clean sheets and climbed to fifth.

Swift lashed home the only goal from six yards after Darnell Furlong played the ball down the right, Akin Famewo missed the chance to cut it out and Jed Wallace crossed low.

But just after the goal, Wednesday’s Juan Delgado missed Ashley Fletcher’s cross from point-blank range, then Tyreeq Bakinson’s curling shot was clawed away by goalkeeper Alex Palmer.

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan saluted match-winner Swift, who scored his fifth goal of the season.

“When a player of his quality is mentally ready to compete he can be the difference,” he said.

Corberan admitted Albion found it hard going to find more goals.

“You change the feeling and change the game when you score from the opportunities you have,” he said.

“It was difficult to combat them from the set-pieces because they had a very physical team and when we won the second balls in the set-pieces, we couldn’t score the second goal to change the game.

“After one second ball and one set-piece, it led to two big opportunities that led Alex (Palmer) to achieve the clean sheet and the three points.”

Sheffield Wednesday manager Xisco Munoz came under increased pressure after a 1-0 defeat against West Brom at The Hawthorns.

An eighth loss left the Owls with their worst ever start to a season from the first 10 games of the Sky Bet Championship season, and they are already seven points adrift of the safety line.

John Swift’s 13th-minute goal settled the match with the Owls having now gone 312 minutes without a goal, with their only points so far coming from draws against Middlesbrough and at Leeds.

But it could have been different if Juan Delgado and Tyreeq Bakinson had converted early chances for the visitors.

Not surprisingly, Munoz rang the changes – seven – from Friday night’s 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland, with a return to a 4-4-2 formation.

It mattered little as West Brom dominated the game of few opportunities as their fifth game unbeaten saw them climb to fifth.

Carlos Corberan’s side started by forcing numerous corners and crosses from which the recalled Brandon Thomas-Asante and Kyle Bartley missed the target with headed half-chances.

West Brom took the lead in the 13th minute with a goal of classic simplicity. Darnell Furlong played the ball down the right, Akin Famewo missed the chance to cut it out and Jed Wallace crossed low for Swift to sweep it high into the net from six yards.

Swift’s fifth goal of the season soon had the near 2,000 Wednesday fans calling for Munoz’s head but just after the goal, the Owls created two excellent chances.

The sliding Delgado missed Ashley Fletcher’s cross from point-blank range, then Bakinson’s curling shot heading for the top corner was clawed away by goalkeeper Alex Palmer.

Matt Phillips should have done better from Furlong’s cut-back but got caught in two minds and the opportunity was gone.

Okay Yokuslu’s low shot following a scramble then Swift’s free-kick from out wide were both tipped away by goalkeeper Devis Vasquez as West Brom pressed for a second goal.

Wednesday remained in the game and Fletcher’s angled shot was blocked by the chest of Palmer.

The second half took a while to produce a goalmouth incident, with Wednesday mopping up various Albion attacks.

Dangerman Swift went closest when his curling shot dipped just over the bar from 25 yards after he cut inside.

The Baggies dominated but were their own worst enemies as they overplayed in front of goal rather than opting to shoot.

Carlos Corberan pointed to an increasing self-belief after West Brom snapped Preston’s unbeaten start to the Sky Bet Championship season with an emphatic 4-0 away win.

The Baggies took a fourth-minute lead when Darnell Furlong drilled home a shot from 22 yards, before further strikes from Alex Mowatt, Matt Phillips and Kyle Bartley completed a great afternoon for the visitors.

The result marks West Brom’s first win since August 26 and lifts them back to within touching distance of the play-offs, while Preston remain third in the table after six wins and two draws prior to this humbling.

“Defensively and attacking, that was a fantastic performance,” Corberan said.

“I was delighted to see complete effort and commitment from all the players, and that was exactly what I had been after.

“I’ve told the players previously that they need to believe in themselves and that belief was there for everyone to see today.

“Perhaps at times we needed to do more things during the game, but I cannot be critical after a victory like that.

“I was so pleased to see every player competing from the very first minute to the last. There are different challenges in this division too.

“We met those today, but we all know the physical demands of the Championship.”

After a frustrating September, where West Brom lost to Huddersfield and drew with Bristol City and Watford, Corberan hopes they can make up for lost time and rack up some wins.

They have three home games to come in their next four league fixtures, starting with Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday.

“Games are coming at us all the time, and we have to cope with that,” he said.

“We knew exactly how tough it was going to be to come here and get a result.

“Preston have had a great start to the season, and their players will never give anything up.

“Their high intensity was something else we knew we needed to match but we did that and this has been a fantastic result.

“We need to take this positive feeling into the next games now.”

While Corberan hopes the result is a landmark moment in their season, Preston manager Ryan Lowe plans to forget it as soon as possible.

They face tricky away games at Leicester and Ipswich before the international break and Lowe insists they cannot dwell on the defeat for too long.

“We were nowhere near the levels I expect from the lads, but you have to remember West Brom are a really good team full of good players,” he said.

“They’re well coached, you can see that but I was also proud and pleased that our lads didn’t give up – we kept going right until the end.

“We’ve been terrific so far this season. We’re still in a great position, we’ve only lost one game.

“We’ve lost three points, not six or nine, so it’s not all negatives. The lads know they weren’t good enough today, but we won’t linger on it.

“I’ve told them all that I want lots of smiles on faces on Monday morning, and there will be. The manner of the defeat was a big disappointment, but credit to West Brom.

“Ultimately we’ve just lost one game – today has just been one of those days.”

Preston’s unbeaten Sky Bet Championship record was emphatically ended as they lost 4-0 at home to West Brom.

After six wins and two draws, North End were comprehensively dispatched by the impressive Baggies.

Goals from Darnell Furlong, Alex Mowatt, Matt Phillips and Kyle Bartley gave West Brom a third win of the season, lifting them to within three points of the play-off places.

With rain lashing down on the lush Deepdale surface, the Baggies took just four minutes to open the scoring. Phillips touched the ball tidily to Furlong, and he drilled home superbly first-time from 22 yards.

It was a timely early boost for Carlos Corberan’s men, one which gave them a spring in their step.

Centre-back Cedric Kipre was next to threaten when his close-range effort was bravely blocked by Brad Potts.

Preston were uncharacteristically poor in possession, and the visitors could have punished them again, only for Erik Pieters to volley wildly over the top from a promising position.

As the hosts were finally finding some rhythm, a howler from Jordan Storey cost them a second goal just before the half-hour mark.

The defender was far too casual trying to bypass Mowatt, losing the ball easily as the Baggies’ midfielder went on to coolly beat a stunned Freddie Woodman from eight yards.

Nothing was going Preston’s way, with West Brom patiently probing for another opening.

They came close when skipper Jed Wallace’s strike was deflected wide, while Okay Yokuslu planted a free header woefully off target in first-half added time.

The Baggies were straight on the attack at the start of the second period when Mowatt flung in a terrific cross for Grady Diangana, but he scooped a shot disappointingly over.

Diangana was then thwarted by an assistant referee’s flag as West Brom thought they had grabbed a third goal.

Like the rain, the Baggies’ forward play was persistent, and next to go close was Phillips, who curled a sweet strike just past the far post.

West Brom finally got a third goal – rather fortuitously – in the 62nd minute as Phillips fired home via a wicked deflection off Storey from 15 yards.

That prompted many North End fans to head for the exits, with their team’s day heading from bad to worse.

That was summed up when sub Mads Frokjaer somehow missed the target from eight yards, further compounding the home supporters’ frustration.

Three-quarters of the stadium almost instantly emptied when Bartley converted Wallace’s cross to complete the scoring in the 87th minute.

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan has called on his players to become a 90-minute team and be more clinical after a 0-0 draw against Millwall.

The Baggies dominated after the break and hit the woodwork twice in 10 minutes in what Corberan described as the “perfect” second half after Alex Palmer saved Zian Flemming’s 27th-minute penalty.

But Corberan rued what might have been after this stalemate became their third draw in a week and took their winless run to four games.

“If you analyse the week, we couldn’t keep the levels of the second halves in the first,” said Corberan.

“And in the Championship, to make an excellent 45 or 50 minutes that tells us it’s not enough.

“That said, even if we do a full game (at that level) it might not be enough because in football what makes the difference is to be clinical in front of goal.

“The more options you create, the more chances and possibilities you have to score.

“Look at the stats in the second half – we had 73 per cent of the ball, the goal expected was 1.86 and their goal expected was zero.

“We did the perfect second half without the reward of the three points. In the first half, we didn’t play well enough.”

Brandon Thomas-Asante missed two chances – including the one that hit the bar – but Corberan defended the striker, who is without a goal in four games.

“He’s doing unbelievable work – he played 90 minutes on Wednesday night and 90 minutes here,” he said.

“It’s not easy to find a player who does what he does.

“You mustn’t forget that one year, two months ago he was playing in League Two.

“He’s still growing, but every time he’s on the pitch he shows a lot of value for the team.”

The penalty came after Kyle Bartley handled Ryan Longman’s corner, but Palmer saved his team-mate’s blushes.

After the break, West Brom dominated. Matt Phillips’ shot was blocked after Bartosz Bialkowski saved Thomas-Asante’s shot.

Then Alex Mowatt’s curling free-kick rattled the underside of the crossbar, before Thomas-Asante’s header was deflected onto the bar.

Millwall manager Gary Rowett praised his side’s battling spirit.

“Sometimes in the Championship you’ve got to dig in to get a point and a clean sheet and I thought we did that fantastically well,” he said.

Rowett admitted his side found it hard going in the second half after the spot-kick miss.

“I didn’t think it necessarily caused us problems in the first half but I felt certainly in the second half we struggled a bit,” he said.

“They changed formation – they kept Jeremy Sarmiento really high on the left and Matt Phillips high on the right and it pinned our five back.

“So we decided to change our formation to four at the back because there was no point in having five marking three players.

“It helped us gain a bit of stability but it didn’t necessarily allow us to get out.

“I just felt our use of the ball and our bravery in the second half wasn’t enough to get us on the attack.”

West Brom failed to put Millwall to the sword after hitting the bar twice in a 0-0 draw but the hosts were also indebted to goalkeeper Alex Palmer for his first-half penalty save.

Palmer denied Millwall forward Zian Flemming from the spot in the 27th minute, before Alex Mowatt and Brandon Thomas-Asante hit the woodwork after the break.

The result means West Brom have gone four games without a win, although they have drawn their last three.

Millwall kept a second successive clean sheet after beating Rotherham 3-0 in midweek.

On a day when The Hawthorns rose to salute late West Brom midfielder Ian Hamilton, who died recently at the age of 55, both sides failed to spark in a forgettable first half featuring too many mistakes and too few chances.

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan made five changes from Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at Watford, but those recalled barely suggested they were able to improve things.

After the break West Brom stepped up a gear and had several chances to take the advantage only to be denied by some vigilant Millwall defending.

Millwall almost took a second-minute lead in bizarre circumstances.

Palmer was forced to tip the ball over after his clearance from a back pass hit striker Duncan Watmore and sailed dangerously close to goal.

Grady Diangana – looking to make a positive impression on his first start of the season – had the home side’s first chance with a low drive that was deflected wide.

The first half burst into life when Millwall were awarded a penalty.

Ryan Longman’s corner was handled by Kyle Bartley, who had twice been off for treatment for a facial injury following an aerial clash.

But Palmer got a good hand to Flemming’s spot-kick diving low to his right.

From the resulting corner swung in by Longman, Tom Bradshaw’s glancing header drifted wide of the far post.

West Brom hit the second half running and twice went close to the breakthrough in the 50th minute.

Thomas-Asante’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski and Matt Phillips’ follow-up was blocked by Longman after Diangana crossed.

Erik Pieters kept up the hosts’ momentum with a low drive from 25 yards that Bialkowski fumbled, Thomas-Asante unable to find a team-mate from the loose ball.

West Brom continued to look the more likely scorers – especially in the 63rd minute when Mowatt’s curling free-kick rattled the underside of the crossbar.

In the scramble that ensued, Semi Ajayi glanced just wide.

Albion hit the woodwork for the second time in the 73rd minute.

This time Thomas-Asante’s header was deflected onto the bar after Conor Townsend crossed, Phillips nodded back into the danger area and two Millwall defenders got in the way.

Right at the death, Thomas-Asante failed to get a proper connection with a close-range header from Mowatt’s deep cross.

Watford head coach Valerien Ismael was unhappy with errors from his side in their 2-2 draw against West Brom.

The hosts took the lead and lost it again within the first 17 minutes before fighting back at a drenched Vicarage Road.

With the game declining as a spectacle due to the conditions, Ismael believed his side were too sloppy.

He said: “We made a mistake and we gave West Brom a chance to stay in the game.

“To come back into the game shows a great mentality. We do the right thing but if we want to improve we have to avoid mistakes – to be more ruthless.

“At the minute we take too many chances to score. Sometimes it works well, so this is what we take from the game.

“If you see their second goal, it’s incredible. It’s a process when you work with young players you have to be patient.”

Those braving the rain in Hertfordshire witnessed a pulsating opening 23 minutes.

Tom Ince netted his first goal for Watford after just three minutes but West Brom responded with a John Swift free-kick and a Jed Wallace strike to lead 14 minutes later.

But Watford replied when Matheus Martins picked the ball up, made his way to the edge of the area and struck sweetly past Alex Palmer.

The contest saw no further goals, although Daniel Bachmann had to turn away a Brandon Thomas-Asante drive after the break.

Alex Palmer was made to turn a header from Ismael Kone on to the crossbar and away to safety, but a point was enough for both sides.

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan wanted his side to be firmer in their play.

He said: “We conceded an early goal, it was a poor start to the game. We played a ball we shouldn’t have done.

“In general, I had the feeling in the first half that we were too deep, we were not aggressive enough in pressing them.

“Today, I liked the reaction of the team after the first goal, we should have been more aggressive in defence.

“There was a lot of effort but it was not the most technical game. We will analyse, review and improve.”

Watford and West Brom played out a 2-2 draw with all four goals at a wet Vicarage Road coming in the first 23 minutes.

Tom Ince gave the hosts a third-minute lead but John Swift and Jed Wallace replied in the next 14 minutes for the Baggies.

Matheus Martins responded for the Hornets but neither side was able to find a winner in the Championship fixture.

Fresh from their win over Birmingham last Saturday, Watford made a sole change with Ismael Kone replacing Tom Dele-Bashiru while West Brom were unchanged from their goalless draw at Bristol City.

The hosts soon took the lead as a move involving five players eventually saw Imran Louza give the ball to Ince, who curled a fine effort into the top right hand corner – his first goal since arriving from Reading this summer.

Stunned by conceding so early, West Brom pressed forward and delivered a stinging reply of their own with two goals in three minutes.

Swift’s 14th-minute free-kick on the edge of the area left Daniel Bachmann stranded before captain Wallace turned home past the Watford goalkeeper after a low cross from Darnell Furlong.

Watford replied when Matheus Martins picked the ball up, made his way to the edge of the area, and struck sweetly past Alex Palmer.

Kone could have put the hosts ahead in the 35th minute after collecting a Martins pass, but his lofted effort went just over the bar.

With the Hertfordshire rain getting even harder after the interval, the defences were notably tighter – limiting the chances both teams were able to carve out.

Bachmann had to turn over a fierce drive from Brandon Thomas-Asante 10 minutes after the restart.

At the other end, Palmer was made to turn a header from Kone on to the crossbar and away to safety.

Both teams looked for the winning effort in a contest that remained finely poised after the first half flurry of goals.

Thomas-Asante was foiled by the onrushing Bachmann with 10 minutes to go after he was fed through by Jeremy Sarmiento.

With six minutes of added time announced, the hosts looked to repeat their previous game against Birmingham by netting the decisive strike late on.

However, the visitors held firm and left Hertfordshire with a hard-fought point.

Carlos Corberan insisted his West Brom side should have had at least one penalty to show for an improved second-half performance in their goalless draw at Bristol City.

More than 2,500 travelling fans behind the goal yelled for spot-kicks, first when Zak Vyner blocked a 77th-minute shot from substitute Josh Maja and then when Kal Naismith slid in with a goal-saving challenge on Maja in stoppage time.

Both sides hit the woodwork and had other chances to take all three points from an entertaining clash, which saw City dominate the first half and Albion storm back after the interval.

Corberan said: “With the tackle at the end, it is tough for a referee because he has only a second to decide whether the first contact was with the ball or the player.

“I thought the earlier situation was a more clear penalty. The ball was cut back to Maja for the finish and the only way the defender could block it was by using a hand.

“Unfortunately, we have to assess Maja because he was injured by the tackle. He is an excellent striker with a work ethic and maturity unusual for a player of his age.

“I had to make three or four points during half-time, which together with the changes we made, especially the performance of Maja when he went on, made us play better.

“The most positive thing for us was the performance of the team in the second half.

“It took us 45 minutes to adapt to the needs of the game and to understand which passes would avoid their press and which would put us in the attacking half.

“We also needed to address some competitive detail, which would allow us to dominate the game as we did in the second half.”

Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson watched the game on crutches because of a back problem and assistant Curtis Fleming conducted the post-match press conference.

He said: “Nigel’s back has become bad over the last couple of weeks and he might require surgery.

“It was an archetypal Championship game. We played really well in the first half and created some great situations.

“What we lacked perhaps was a bit of quality in our decision-making and that clinical edge you need to show in such a competitive league.

“Albion were always going to come into it in the second half, but again we had opportunities and their keeper has made a great save from Harry Cornick.

“When you are on top you really have to punish teams in the Championship and we didn’t do that today.

“At times the players had to put bodies on the line, which shows their commitment and there is no reason why we shouldn’t aim high this season.

“We are better than we were last season and why not aim for the play-offs. In recent seasons there has always been a club finish in the top six who were not expected to be.

“We believe in what we are doing and there is a real togetherness about the squad, which takes time to develop.

“Are we the finished article yet? No, I don’t think so. But we know we are going in the right direction.

“You can’t coach what Kal Naismith did at the end. He was prepared to make that challenge in front of 20,000 people and that is an example of the team spirit we have built.”

Alex Palmer’s brilliant late save from Harry Cornick earned West Brom a point from a goalless Championship draw with Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

The Robins substitute looked certain to score in the 87th minute when set up in a central position just 10 yards out, but Palmer spread himself and stretched out a leg to make a crucial save.

Albion nearly won it themselves in stoppage time when substitute Josh Maja was denied by a goal-saving tackle from Kal Naismith and in the end a draw was a fair outcome from an entertaining encounter.

City dominated much of the first half, playing fast, attacking football down both flanks that only lacked a decisive finish.

Nahki Wells might have had a hat-trick inside 15 minutes, first being denied by a goal-saving tackle by Cedric Kipre, then shooting just wide and having another effort blocked for a corner.

Jason Knight shot over from 20 yards and Naismith was also off-target from just outside the box before Sam Bell’s low shot flew into the side-netting after 33 minutes.

Two minutes later Albion goalkeeper Palmer missed his kick on the right edge of the penalty area and Mark Sykes got in behind to hit the far post with his low drive from a narrow angle.

It did not look like being City’s day. But they had an escape soon afterwards when Albion created their one first-half chance, Brandon Thomas-Asante breaking clear down the middle, only to be robbed by Zak Vyner’s brilliant recovery tackle as he prepared to shoot.

Wells shot weakly at Palmer when well-placed in the 43rd minute, but City left the pitch to warm applause from their fans, despite failing to break the deadlock.

Playing towards their own fans, Albion looked sharper at the start of the second half without forcing a save from Max O’Leary.

Still City looked dangerous and Sykes had a 60th-minute header tipped over by Palmer. But it was more of a contest as at the other end Okay Yokuslu’s header was deflected for a corner.

Albion were starting to look the more likely winners as the game entered its closing stages. Erik Pieters shot over and Vyner did well to block an effort from Maja.

The visitors were denied by the woodwork in the 82nd minute when John Swift’s header struck the crossbar. Seconds later substitute Conor Townsend fired wide with the goal at his mercy.

City appeared to be tiring, but they almost snatched victory through Cornick’s chance and moments later Joe Williams fired inches over.

Albion were not finished, but, while Naismith’s challenge on Maja had 2,500 travelling fans yelling for a penalty, he appeared to win the ball cleanly.

Huddersfield boss Neil Warnock hailed Jack Rudoni as a ‘manager’s dream’ after the midfielder struck deep into stoppage-time to beat West Brom 2-1 and secure a first Sky Bet Championship win of the season.

Rudoni’s late strike ended Albion’s 100 per cent home record after John Swift’s had cancelled out Delano Burgzorg’s 33rd-minute opener for the visitors.

“It was nice to see Jack get on the scoresheet – him and Ben Wiles are manager’s dreams to work with,” said Warnock.

“Jack has got that in his locker, but not consistently at the moment and that’s what we’ve got to get him doing this season.

“Ben, Jack and Jonathan Hogg dictated the central area and we looked dangerous on the break.

“I’m so proud of the players – they couldn’t have given me any more.”

Warnock also singled out the efforts of Dutch forward Burgzorg, who scoring on his full debut following a loan move from German club Maine 05.

“Del took his opportunity because that goal was out of nothing really. He deserved the goal because he’d done so much work on his own,” Warnock said.

“He’s done really well and it’s hard for players coming in because the Championship is so physical.”

Warnock felt Huddersfield were good value for all three points after seeing Rudoni have an earlier goal disallowed.

“I thought we deserved it – I know they had a 10-minute spell when they scored but we had some great opportunities to have created better chances than we did,” the Terriers boss said.

“I didn’t see much wrong with the disallowed effort and I thought we kept plugging away, especially after they scored.

“They got the crowd behind them and you might have expected us to go under, but we defended well and broke well.

“I thought the subs did well and changed it again and gave a bit more and the fans were unbelievable and deserved that.

“We have been written off as relegation fodder, but we can go anywhere and get a result when we play like that.”

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan was left to reflect on what might have been after substitute Josh Maja was denied by Huddersfield goalkeeper Lee Nicholls just before Rudoni’s dramatic late winner.

“We didn’t deserve to win because Huddersfield were better than us in many moments, they started better and were very competitive, which we knew they would be,” he said.

“I told the players it would be a real battle, especially in the middle of the pitch as they put a lot of physical players there – and the fact they hadn’t won a game beforehand made them more dangerous.

“Lee Nicholls won that game with the save he made, then we should have managed the next 40 seconds better.

“If we talk about the action before we conceded the second goal, we could have won because that was the one moment that could have made it 2-1.”

Jack Rudoni struck deep into stoppage-time as Huddersfield fought back to beat West Brom 2-1 for a first Sky Bet Championship win of the season.

Delano Burgzorg had earlier put the Terriers ahead in the 33rd minute, before John Swift equalised midway through the second half.

Huddersfield started brightly and had the ball in the net in the eighth minute through a rising, angled volley from Rudoni – but the goal was ruled out for a push by Michael Helik on Darnell Furlong in the box.

The visitors continued to look dangerous and Ben Wiles’ low drive was deflected wide before Matty Pearson looped a header over from a free-kick.

West Brom threatened when Brandon Thomas-Asante’s glancing header was just too close to goalkeeper Lee Nicholls before Matty Phillips curled an effort wide after cutting inside.

Huddersfield went in front when Dutch forward Burgzorg, on loan from German outfit Mainz 05, arrowed a low, angled drive past Baggies goalkeeper Alex Palmer at his near post from 15 yards.

Burgzorg, making his first start for the Terriers, went close again when he fired wide before
West Brom finally mounted some pressure late in the first half when Thomas-Asante curled straight at Nicholls.

The home fans were celebrating in the 52nd minute after an equaliser following a sweeping move.

Jayson Molumby’s pass found Thomas-Asante on the half-way line and they striker turned before finding Swift to his right.

Swift drew Nicholls before firing low into the far corner on his 50th league appearance for West Brom.

Albion substitute Josh Maja was denied by Nicholls when clean though, and it was Huddersfield who snatched a late winner in the sixth minute of added time.

Substitute Kian Harratt crossed deep to the far post and Rudoni controlled in space before blasting home a fierce low drive inside Palmer’s near post.

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick was left to rue what he deemed to be a foul in the build-up to West Brom’s opening goal as Boro were beaten 4-2 at The Hawthorns.

Carrick’s winless side, who reached the Championship play-offs last season, suffered their third defeat in four matches after going down to Carlos Corberan’s Baggies.

The hosts took control of the match with two goals in quick succession midway through the first half, but Carrick bemoaned referee Jeremy Simpson’s decision to not award a free-kick to Jonny Howson prior to Cedric Kipre opening the scoring.

“It’s a big moment,” Carrick said.

“It’s hard not to get too frustrated, but I thought it was a clear two-handed push. You’re going to suffer things which go against you over a season. I’m not going to sit here and say everything is fantastic because we haven’t won yet, but equally there’s more to it than that.”

Although Middlesbrough, who had Tommy Smith sent off just after half-time following a second booking, have begun the season slowly, Carrick remains encouraged with many aspects of what he has seen from his team, which is still finding its feet after the loss of top scorers Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer over the course of the summer.

Carrick added: “I feel for the boys. There are two sides of it – there’s the result which you can’t hide from, but it’s what happens within that which leads to the result.

“We’ve conceded four shots on target, and four goals. One is a foul, one was a mistake and for a large part I thought there were a lot of good things. We have finished the game strong with 10 men. I was encouraged by things I’m seeing – it’s a strange feeling in many ways.

“You can’t hide from it, but it doesn’t knock my belief in the boys in the squad. We keep doing a lot of things we’re doing and the results will come.”

West Brom quickly backed up Kipre’s 22nd-minute opener with John Swift’s superb 27th-minute thunderbolt, but Boro replied a minute later through Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Albion struck quickly in the second period through Brandon Thomas-Asante before Smith was sent off and, although Boro responded again via Marcus Forss’ late penalty, Jeremy Sarmiento sealed the points in stoppage time for the hosts.

Despite making it two wins from two at home this season, Baggies boss Corberan still sees room for improvement in his side.

“It was hard for me, emotionally, to see that we were better than them at 2-0 and you go to 2-1. We need to control better some moments of the game, in some areas of the pitch, to stop conceding goals that we need to avoid,” he said.

“At 3-1, we were allowed to be more dominant in attack without hurting them, and the red card meant we had a numerical advantage. Sometimes when you have the ball so much, you lose concentration. We started to relax in defence.

“In some moments they found ways to create chances against us. This is something I want to correct, because I want a strong team in attack and a strong team in defence. The fact that we score goals doesn’t mean anything.”

West Brom recorded their second home win of the new Championship season as they eventually prevailed against 10-man Middlesbrough in a breathless encounter at The Hawthorns.

The Baggies stormed ahead in a frantic first half thanks to Cedric Kipre’s 22nd-minute strike and John Swift’s 27th-minute thunderbolt, but Boro replied a minute later through Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Albion struck quickly in the second period through Brandon Thomas-Asante to make it 3-1 before Tommy Smith was shown his marching orders for the visitors soon after.

Marcus Forss did convert a late penalty, but the Baggies made sure of the points when Jeremy Sarmiento struck in stoppage time.

The first notable opportunity fell to the visitors, but it was of West Brom’s own making. Semi Ajayi, when receiving Okay Yokuslu’s pass inside his own penalty area, was caught in possession by Riley McGree and the Australian poked a low effort at goal which Alex Palmer was able to save with his leg.

Passing up that chance would prove costly, as Albion went up the other end and produced the afternoon’s first goal.

Darnell Furlong’s long throw-in was contested by Ajayi and Darragh Lenihan, but the loose ball fell to Kipre, who made room for himself, chested the ball down and struck a smart half-volley past Seny Dieng.

West Brom doubled their advantage a little over five minutes later when Jayson Molumby fed Swift, who was allowed time and space to drive forwards from midfield and fire a powerful shot into the top corner.

The first half fun and games were not done there, though, as Boro hit back instantly. Samuel Silvera ran at Matt Phillips on the right-hand side and the cross which followed was nodded past Palmer by Latte Lath.

The Ivorian centre-forward might have doubled his own tally before half-time, but he lifted another attempt over Palmer and also over the bar.

Equally, Albion could have extended their advantage at the other end, but Phillips pulled a low shot just wide of the far post.

Boro right-back Smith was booked for catching Jed Wallace just before half-time but it was his full-back counterpart Lukas Engel who endured a nightmare beginning to the second period when his attempted pass back was cut out by the lurking Thomas-Asante, who nipped in, took advantage of the loose ball and rounded Dieng before calmly rolling the ball home.

The Baggies were two goals to the good again, and shortly after they had a man advantage too, when Smith pulled Phillips’ shirt on the run and was dismissed with his second booking.

The home side, though, failed to put the game to bed and 10-man Boro were encouraged in the later stages when Isaiah Jones’ cross from the left struck the arm of Furlong and fellow substitute Forss rolled home the resulting penalty.

But West Brom would prevail when on-loan Brighton forward Sarmiento collected the ball from former Boro loanee Alex Mowatt in the penalty area before rifling his shot into the roof of the net.