West Brom boss Carlos Corberan praised his Championship play-off chasing side for their patience as they claimed a comprehensive 3-0 victory at Plymouth.

Cedric Kipre broke the deadlock in the 61st minute and goals followed from substitute Mikey Johnston – with a brilliant 76th minute solo effort – and Tom Fellows, who scored a stoppage-time clincher.

Corberan said: “We had to be patient because at half-time we were 0-0. At half-time I wanted them to keep doing the things we did well and tried correcting the things we did not do well.

“I think in the second half we created a lot of chances. We were positive and created a lot of chances and it’s always positive to get goals.

“I said before the game, coming here and winning the game was going to be hard because only Leeds have won here since October. I think before Leeds won here at the weekend, Plymouth had not lost for nine league games here.”

The result saw the Baggies strengthened their hold on fifth place as they bounced back from defeat at promotion contenders Southampton on Friday.

Corberan was pleased with his side’s efforts but warned that Coventry and Norwich, who both sit just four points behind in seventh and eighth respectively, were hot on their heels.

He added: “When you don’t have a specific number nine, it’s important to score goals from different areas of the pitch.

“The important thing is to create chances – clearcut chances – and we did that.

“I think we have attacking players that can create chances and score goals from all over.

“Four points above seventh place tonight is nothing because we know how difficult staying in the play-off positions is going to be.

“From the play-off positions to 10th, we are one of the teams that are going to compete. The team that finds consistency will get a play-off place. You need a strong mentality to win every game.”

Plymouth head coach Ian Foster would not criticise his side after the defeat due to the busy fixture schedule.

He said: “We are disappointed because we have lost a game but I can’t be critical of the players.

“I know that sounds strange after a 3-0 home defeat but it’s our third game in six days.

“We have to give credit to the opposition. They are an excellent side and they showed that tonight.

“We dug in and kept them at bay for as long as we could. We have to take our medicine. They are one of the best sides in the Championship.

“We didn’t have our normal energy. We were guilty of tired passes. We found it really difficult in the second half.

“We have to stick together now, rest and plan accordingly for a massive game on Saturday (at Middlesbrough).

“We asked them for more, but they couldn’t give us more. They had empty tanks.

“We have to dust ourselves down now and go again.

“No one wants to pay money and see us be dismantled the way we were.

“There’s no excuses. We knew the run of games we were coming into and we plan our best for them because we have to respect the opposition.”

West Brom strengthened their hold on fifth place in the Championship as they bounced back with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Plymouth.

The Baggies suffered defeat at promotion contenders Southampton on Friday but came out fighting on Tuesday night, with all three goals coming in the final 30 minutes from Cedric Kipre, substitute Mikey Johnston and Tom Fellows.

West Brom’s Alex Mowatt went close in the third minute with a goal-bound angled drive from range that took a deflection, off a home defender and onto the post.

Although the subsequent corner was cleared, it needed a superb sliding tackle from recalled defender Brendan Galloway to deny visiting skipper Jed Wallace as he homed in on goal a minute later.

In Argyle’s first serious attack, 18-goal top scorer Morgan Whittaker’s cross was cleared but only as far as incoming midfielder Adam Randell, who let fly with a thumping 20-yard first-timer that flew just wide.

Mowatt’s inswinging corner had to be punched off the goal-line by home goalkeeper Conor Hazard.

Hazard made a superb 28th-minute save to keep out Andreas Weimann’s thunderous strike on the bounce after a clever aerial through ball from playmaker Wallace down the right.

The hosts countered with right wing-back Lino Sousa firing over from their next attack.

Home defender Bali Mumba did well to block Weimann’s 36th-minute volley as the ball was looped back into the area from the right by Wallace.

West Brom started the second half as they finished the first – on the attack.

Weimann went close with an angled shot on the run as he latched on to a defence-splitting through ball from Fellows from the right.

The striker let fly with a first-time strike as he swerved to beat his marker, but the shot flew just wide of goal, with the diving Hazard beaten.

Albion hit the post again seven minutes after the break as under-pressure Plymouth failed to clear their lines following another corner.

The ball was headed back across goal by Nathaniel Chalobah, while Wallace, who was just inside the area, sent in a shot that crashed off the foot of the post and across the goal-line.

Just after the hour mark, West Brom’s pressure paid off as unmarked Kipre had time to left-foot the ball home from close range at the far post as Argyle failed to clear John Swift’s corner from the right.

Albion’s Conor Townsend fired in an audacious long-range effort that flew over from 30 yards in the 73rd minute.

In their next meaningful attack, Baggies substitute Johnston fired the away side 2-0 ahead with a brilliant solo effort after 76 minutes.

Johnston cut in from the left, into the box, and beat his marker Matthew Sorinola before thrashing a rising shot past Hazard and into the far corner.

Substitute Grady Diangana fired over from inside the box from Townsend’s 87th-minute cutback as Albion went in search of a third goal.

That came in the first minute of stoppage time as Wallace’s low shot was saved by Hazard, who could not hold onto the ball, and Fellows followed up to slot home.

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.

Cardiff virtually secured their Championship status with a 2-1 win at fellow strugglers Rotherham.

Cedric Kipre struck the decisive goal two minutes from time to ensure the Welsh side leapfrogged The Millers and move six points clear of the bottom relegation spot with just two games left to play.

It looked as though the visitors’ penalty woes were continuing to cost them when Sory Kaba missed for a second successive match and upped their tally of missed spot kicks to five for the season.

But Kipre bailed out the striker late on with a goal which keeps Rotherham in trouble and only three points above 22nd placed Reading.

The initial meeting between the two sided was abandoned minutes into the second half due to a waterlogged pitch with Cardiff leading 1-0.

Rotherham almost got off to the perfect start when Wes Harding’s lofted ball was won fiercely by Jordan Hugill only for it to rebound back off the woodwork and away to safety.

Cardiff threatened when skipper Joe Ralls played in Mahlon Romeo in plenty of space and his shot had to be pushed out by Viktor Johansson.

They converted their next chance after 11 minutes with Kion Etete slipping in behind Harding and heading in Perry Ng’s cross clinically.

Bluebirds’ goalkeeper Jak Alnick was forced into his first save by a long-range effort from Conor Coventry.

Kaba then had a great chance to double the visitors’ advantage after capitalising on a Cameron Humphreys’ misjudgement but his powerful effort was kept out by Johansson.

Rotherham levelled after 37 minutes and it was again Harding providing the perfect cross which Chiedozie Ogbene managed to power in at the back post.

Cardiff were handed a huge chance to go back in front in added on time after Coventry fouled Jaden Philogene but Kaba saw his penalty crash against the crossbar.

A tense second half ensued but it was Cardiff who looked the more likely to create a big chance.

When one materialised it was to the away side’s dangerman Philogene who was slipped in down the left, he cut back inside menacingly, but his shot was deflected out of play.

The game was settled after 88 minutes when Kipre kept his composure in the box to lash home the winner following a goalmouth scramble.

The only real panic the visitors endured during added on time was when substitute Domingos Quina took aim from distance but his shot was easily gathered by Alnwick.