West Brom: Townsend starred vs Reading

West Brom continued their phenomenal kind below new supervisor Carlos Corberan on Monday as they earned a 1-0 win over Studying to maneuver inside one level of the Championship playoffs.

Daryl Dike’s header was sufficient to seal the three factors for the Baggies, making certain that they’d win for the fifth residence recreation in a row with out conceding a aim, with a promotion push now actually on the playing cards regardless of the woeful begin to the season below Steve Bruce.

Whereas Dike will dominate the headlines after scoring the one aim of the sport, it was arguably Conor Townsend who was Corberan’s star performer towards the Royals.

As per Sofascore, the previous Scunthorpe United man would earn a powerful 7.6/10 ranking for his efficiency on Tuesday, with solely Dike (7.8) rated larger of each participant to characteristic within the recreation.

Townsend was actually unfortunate to not open the scoring when he crashed a header towards the submit within the first half, though his total efficiency actually warranted a aim.

Through the 90 minutes, the left-back would contribute 4 clearances, one interception and three tackles, which is much more spectacular when you think about that he has averaged simply 1.6 tackles and 1.9 clearances within the Championship to this point this marketing campaign.

Towards a harmful Studying right-hand aspect that includes Junior Hoilett and Tom Ince, the 29-year-old was fully dominant, successful all 5 of his aerial and floor duels on the Hawthorns.

Nonetheless, it wasn’t simply his defending that made his efficiency so good, as he additionally contributed two key passes and two photographs through the recreation, each of that are an enchancment on his average of 0.7 photographs and one key move per recreation within the second tier.

Townsend has labored his approach up by the divisions and is constant to ship on the high finish of the Championship for Corberan, which journalist Chris Lepkowski seemingly predicted when praising the defender again in 2021 on the West Brom podcast The Liquidator.

He said: “There’s no scarcity of endeavour there, I feel all of us admire that he isn’t essentially the most technically adept left-back, however by way of endeavour and enterprise, he’s excellent. each week that he’ll put a shift in, he might make errors, he might not at all times get that ultimate ball on track or the cross on track, however you recognize you’re going to get a really stable defensive show.”

Had Townsend’s first-half header discovered the online, then he absolutely would have been recognised because the man-of-the-match on Tuesday however his total show arguably places him forward of Dike because the star performer in Corberan’s aspect.