West Bromwich Albion succumbed to a second defeat on the spin away at Sunderland yesterday, the managerless Black Cats winning the game 2-1 courtesy of a blistering cameo off the bench from Alex Pritchard helping the hosts gain an advantage.
The 30-year-old’s two assists in a breakneck 18-minute substitute cameo turned the game on its head for Sunderland, with Brandon Thomas-Asante’s goal in the 86th minute proving to be too little too late for the Baggies to get anything from the contest.
Registering more shots on target than their hosts – Carlos Corberan’s men notching up seven on-target efforts over the 90 minutes compared to Sunderland’s slightly lesser total of five – West Brom would have felt aggrieved when the referee sounded his whistle at the conclusion of the contest that they left the Stadium of Light without even a point for their efforts.
Still, when reflecting on the game from a West Brom perspective, those with connections to the Championship promotion hopefuls will feel certain senior individuals let the side down in this slim 2-1 loss.
Notably, West Brom’s star winger Grady Diangana barely threatened in attack for Corberan’s men throughout the 90 minutes in another out-of-sorts performance from the hot-and-cold forward.
Grady Diangana’s performance in numbers vs Sunderland
The ex-West Ham United attacker was quiet throughout, Pritchard stepping up to be a hero for the hosts with nobody swooping in to play that role for the away team.
The Congolese winger only registered one shot from a dire 60-minute spell on the pitch, the solitary effort blocked by the Black Cats defenders standing firm before it could trouble Anthony Patterson behind them.
He was lively venturing forward in patches of the contest – successful with five of his six dribbled attempts at the Stadium of Light – but his end product following a promising dart forward was always lacking.
Diangana was particularly wasteful with the ball at his feet attempting to play teammates into the game, losing possession a grand total of 16 times with eight misplaced passes picked up along the way.
He even managed to touch the ball fewer times than West Brom’s goalkeeper Alex Palmer in this one, amassing 38 touches to Palmer’s 46.
Birmingham Live writer Joseph Chapman would give Diangana a 5/10 rating for his showing against Sunderland, stating that the winger often ‘overran the ball’ and complicated matters up top.
This below-par offering is not just a one-off for the underperforming Baggies man however, the left winger underwhelming fans of the West Midlands club on a regular basis currently.
Grady Diangana’s season in numbers
Diangana first emerged onto the scene at the Hawthorns full of energy and skill with a potent finish in his locker too – scoring eight times in his full debut season for the Baggies in the Championship back in the 2019-20 campaign.
Fast forward to the present day, the 5 foot 11 attacker does showboat still but the end product is beginning to dry up.
The Congolese trickster has only contributed to one West Brom goal being scored in the last five matches for Corberan’s men, struggling to make an impact like he used to as a fresh signing hungry to succeed.
The 25-year-old struggled against West Brom’s promotion rivals Southampton and Leicester City last month, inaccurate with all three of his crosses at St Mary’s with the Saints going on to win 2-1.
Corberan’s patience will be wearing thin with Diangana now, hopeful that his misfiring attacker can get his fading personal season back on track against Rotherham United on Tuesday night to help his team pick up three points after losing two in a row.
