Grady Diangana and Brandon Thomas-Asante scored as West Brom beat Coventry 2-0 at the CBS Arena.

The Sky Blues had lost just once at home since mid-January, but were handed a third consecutive defeat to remain 20th in the Sky Bet Championship table.

The Baggies’ second away win of the season lifted them back into the play-off positions as they notched their sixth clean sheet in seven outings.

Carlos Corberan’s men began the night without a recognised striker as Thomas-Asante was left out of the line-up, but when Ben Wilson spilled Nathaniel Chalobah’s effort straight at the feet of Diangana, the winger had the presence of mind to steady himself and roll into an empty net in the 17th minute.

The visitors had started on the front foot as they camped in Coventry’s half and won a succession of corners, but were stopped in their tracks when the offside flag went up as Kyle Bartley’s header hit a post.

It was a miserable night for Coventry’s record signing Haji Wright, who squandered two huge opportunities to level with the score at 1-0.

First, the American diverted Liam Kitching’s pinpoint cross wide of Alex Palmer’s goal from close range after he had seen an earlier effort blocked by Cedric Kipre.

Palmer was also on hand to block Wright’s shot from a tight angle when he was played in by Jay Dasilva, while Jamie Allen failed to connect with his effort.

It was a frustrating first half for Mark Robins’ men, who racked up 11 efforts on goal, with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s shot beaten away by Palmer while Ben Sheaf fired over twice from range.

Shortly after half-time, Josh Eccles’ defence-splitting pass sent Wright through one-on-one with Palmer but he pulled his effort wide with the goal gaping.

He and the Sky Blues were made to pay in the 69th minute when Matt Phillips set Thomas-Asante away down the left and the striker drove into the box before opening his body and finding the top corner with deadly precision.

The substitute could have further extended the lead when he stole possession from Kyle McFadzean and weaved his way between a host of defenders before blasting over.

Coventry had only scored two goals in their previous four matches and Matt Godden and Ellis Simms were thrown on to try to get the Sky Blues back in the game, while Callum O’Hare had a penalty shout waved away on his first home appearance since December after a knee injury.

Twelve months ago the Baggies sat bottom of the league on 14 points from 17 games, but held onto their 2-0 victory to make it one defeat in their last nine as they rose to fifth in the table.

QPR head coach Gareth Ainsworth admitted defender Jimmy Dunne was naive for his quickfire double booking which turned the game in the 2-0 defeat to West Brom at the Hawthorns.

Dunne was booked for coming back onto the pitch too early then sent off two minutes later for allegedly marking the penalty spot after West Brom were awarded a spot-kick.

Brandon Thomas-Asante crashed home from the spot in the 59th minute before Grady Diangana tapped home the second eight minutes later.

“There was a crazy moment to give the penalty away and then a crazier, more naive moment with the red card,” said Ainsworth.

“I spoke to the referee and he said there was an incident on the penalty spot with the West Brom player.

“I asked him if he was absolutely certain that it was the player he recognised and he said ‘yes, 100 per cent’, so a second yellow was warranted. If it’s true, it’s very naive.

“The first yellow was coming back onto the pitch too early.

“You can accept getting done by football but when you lose a player to that – if it is that – then it’s very naive.”

Rangers have now suffered five straight defeats to remain third from bottom of the Sky Bet Championship.

The pressure is mounting on Ainsworth and they face leaders Leicester at home on Saturday, but he vowed things will improve.

“We’ve got some really good players but I’m sure there’s enough to turn it around,” he insisted.

“We’re going to get out of this and one way or another, I’ll get these boys fighting.

“I know the frustrations of the fans and supporters all over the world make managers targets and sometimes they have to take flak.

“There’s pressure from day one because you get judged on results, but I don’t fear anything.”

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan admitted patience was the key to breaking down QPR as he prepares to celebrate his first anniversary in charge of the club on Wednesday with a return to the top six.

“It was a question of patience and being mature enough because sometimes when you play against 5-4-1, it’s not easy to attack,” he said. “The key in these type of games is not to concede counter-attacks, and at the same time to create chances.

“But at the same time it’s important to dominate so you can create something.

“Things like passing the ball in front of the player instead of the back because if you play at his back, that can lead to you being off balance and you can give them the advantage.

“One thing which helped us was how we were attacking down the sides – having Diangana and Matt Phillips one against one.

“The key was to stretch their last nine with players such as Nathaniel Chalobah and Jed Wallace making runs in behind, which allowed us to start to stretch them and allowed us to get them one-v-one.”

West Brom climbed back into the Sky Bet Championship’s top six with a 2-0 win against 10-man latecomers QPR at the Hawthorns in a game Jimmy Dunne will want to forget.

Brandon Thomas-Asante netted a 59th-minute penalty before man-of-the-match Grady Diangana scored the second nine minutes later, after he had been tripped by Kenneth Paal for the spot-kick.

The penalty award led to the dismissal of QPR defender Dunne for a second bookable offence for dissent, just two minutes after he was shown a yellow card after being injured.

The result meant West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan could celebrate his one-year anniversary – in stark contrast to opposite number Gareth Ainsworth, who lost for the fifth time in a row.

Until the penalty it looked like West Brom were going to be left doubly frustrated by QPR – first by the Londoners’ late arrival, then by their defence.

The game, which was due to start at 8pm, kicked off 10 minutes late following the delayed arrival of the QPR squad due to traffic following an incident in Birmingham city centre.

Corberan, 40, who will have been in the Baggies hotseat for 12 months on Wednesday, saw his injury-hit side find chances hard to come by until the decisive penalty.

West Brom started the brighter but Thomas-Asante failed to control a beautifully-flighted ball over the top from Diangana which left him through on goal.

Darnell Furlong headed powerfully over the crossbar from eight yards from Erik Pieters’ up-and-under cross.

West Brom looked to find some much-needed inspiration after the break and Okay Yokuslu looped a header over from Matt Phillips’ free-kick.

But they had to be alert at the other end as only a vital block from Cedric Kipre denied Ilias Chair from Reggie Cannon’s cutback.

The breakthrough came when Paal clumsily tripped Diangana as the winger cut in from the right.

Thomas-Asante thumped home the resulting spot-kick into the top corner to end his seven-match drought in style with his fourth goal of the season.

Diangana hit a post with a superb curling effort before tapping home the second goal after Nathaniel Chalobah had beaten Osman Kakay and squared.

The goal – his first since February – came on his 100th league appearance for West Brom since his £20million permanent move from West Ham.

Substitute Jayson Molumby drove just wide in time added on.

Plymouth manager Steven Schumacher tipped goalkeeper Michael Cooper for the Premier League after he kept a clean sheet on his comeback in a 0-0 draw against West Brom at The Hawthorns.

The 24-year-old, who has made more than 150 appearances for the Pilgrims, made his return after eight months out with a ruptured cruciate knee ligament and helped Argyle to their first shutout in seven games.

“Since pre-season he’s worked his socks off and he deserves to play at this level and at a higher level than this,” said Schumacher.

“I’m buzzing for Michael. He’s been a huge player for us for a couple of seasons and I rate him really highly. He is a top goalkeeper and I’m glad to have him back.

“He’s one of the best young goalkeepers in the country – he’s sharp, he’s a calming influence and he makes big saves.

“It was a big call to put him in the team but that’s what I get paid for and he repaid it and I’m delighted for him.

“There weren’t many massive moments for him but what he had to deal with, he did it well and he was calm with his feet.

“He was happy to be back. I spoke to him on Tuesday or Wednesday and asked if he was OK about it and I said ‘You need to get it into your head because you’re playing on Saturday’.”

Promoted Plymouth – still winless on their travels this season – created the best chance when Morgan Whittaker’s curling shot hit the inside of the post in the 13th minute.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden and substitute Mustapha Bundu were also denied by West Brom goalkeeper Alex Palmer.

West Brom’s only serious effort on target was Grady Diangana’s deflected shot which Cooper tipped behind.

“I’m not going to say I’m disappointed with a point away from home,” added Schumacher. “We played outstandingly well in the first half and the areas we got into were really good.

“At half-time we were worried because we thought we’d get punished in the second half but we weathered the storm and had another good chance through Mustapha Bundu.”

The Baggies forced 10 corners – double Arygle’s tally – and their head coach Carlos Corberan was disappointed with the return from dead-ball situations.

“We created a lot of set-pieces; our attacks didn’t finish as attacks, they finished with set-pieces and it was another week where we didn’t use our set-pieces well enough,” said Corberan.

“They were better than us in the first half and we were better than them in the second half.

“I think they found a way to break our press in the first half and after that they found possibilities to attack our box.

“In the second half, we found a way to recover balls in the attacking half, we found a way to dominate the game but we didn’t create a lot of clear-cut chances.

“In the first half they broke our defensive structure and we were too focused to press.

“We tried to press every ball in the first half and when you do that, you don’t press well, and you don’t defend well.

“In the second half, we showed more clarity, defended when we had to defend and pressed when we had to press.”

Plymouth secured their first clean sheet in seven games on goalkeeper Michael Cooper’s comeback with a deserved point with a 0-0 draw against West Brom at The Hawthorns.

Argyle also went closest to breaking the deadlock too when Morgan Whittaker hit the inside of the post after 13 minutes while West Brom goalkeeper Alex Palmer denied substitute Mustapha Bundu.

Cooper – making his first senior appearance for eight months after a ruptured cruciate ligament – celebrated his comeback with a shutout as the visitors heeded their manager Steven Schumacher’s pre-match call to tighten up.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper got a vital fingertip to Grady Diangana’s deflected shot from West Brom’s best opening.

West Brom threatened first with a low, first-time shot from Alex Mowatt but Jordan Houghton deflected the ball over the bar after Jed Wallace squared to Matt Phillips.

Plymouth’s big moment came when Whittaker cut in from the right and his curling shot hit the inside of the post, with Finn Azaz firing over the rebound.

A wonderful piece of skill by Diangana had West Brom’s supporters on their feet after he beat Mickel Miller and Azaz down the right, but after the winger’s pass to Wallace, Erik Pieters overhit his cross to Brandon Thomas-Asante.

As half-time approached, Plymouth were looking sharper than their hosts and Kaine Kesler-Hayden forced the first save of the game. His drilled effort hit the legs of Palmer after another run and cross from Whittaker.

Perhaps not surprisingly after a lacklustre showing, there were a few boos ringing to greet Albion at the half-time whistle.

Plymouth defender Dan Scarr became the fourth player to be booked in an increasingly scrappy game for a trip on Nathaniel Chalobah as the midfielder threatened to go past him 25 yards out.

But Darnell Furlong summed up Albion’s afternoon from the free-kick when his curling attempt went straight into the defensive wall.

It took until the 53rd minute for West Brom to force their first effort on target after Diangana’s shot took a wicked deflection off a defender and Cooper got a fingertip to it to deflect the ball behind.

Argyle were denied again when Bundu cut in from the left only to see his curling shot tipped away by Palmer.

West Brom were looking increasingly desperate in their attempts to fashion a winner as the clock ticked down.

Substitute Jayson Molumby’s shot flew high and wide, before fellow replacement Semi Ajayi failed to connect properly with a header at the far post at the end.

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan felt his side played “against more than just 11 players” after a controversial penalty helped Birmingham come from behind to earn a 3-1 derby victory.

City’s equaliser came when referee James Linington pointed to the spot after Cedric Kipre’s clumsy lunge on the falling Koji Miyoshi and Juninho Bacuna scored from 12 yards.

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

Corberan found it difficult to control his anger after the Championship clash and put himself at risk of being punished with his post-match comments.

“Today we competed against more than just 11 players,” said Corberan.

“It’s difficult to analyse the game without talking about the penalty because it changed the game.

“When you’re a coach and you put your life into this work – and I put my life into this work – how do you feel?

“It was one action where the player (Miyoshi) slipped in front of Kipre, you have to consider if it was a penalty.

“Their other two goals came from a second phase set-piece and a free-kick.

“In a month’s time, no one will remember this, but I will never forget this. This action has had a massive impact.

“I feel emotionally it affected the concentration of our players because in football and in life when something is unfair, it’s difficult to accept.”

John Swift put West Brom ahead in the fifth minute with his sixth goal of the season.

Then came the hotly-disputed equaliser in the 23rd minute, with Bacuna sending Alex Palmer the wrong way for his first Championship goal of the season.

Birmingham went ahead when Dion Sanderson guided a header high into the net from Cody Drameh’s deep cross before Gardner curled home a delightful free-kick from the edge of the area.

Blues head coach Eustace admitted: “I thought he was blowing for a corner but I didn’t see the incident.

“But I think it was a true Birmingham City performance – we played some exciting football at times but we had to dig in and fight at times and that togetherness is what this football club is all about.

“We had to do that at times and I couldn’t be any prouder of the players and the fans.”

City celebrated with a lap of honour and Eustace added: “I love winning games and I’m an emotional person.

“Tonight was a special night – we were playing West Bromwich Albion at home in front of a full house, live on the telly and it was a big game.”

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.