West Brom ratings from costly Blackburn defeat with one ‘horrendous’ 4/10 and several 5s

West Brom suffered a devastating blow in the Championship play-off race with a 2-0 defeat to fellow top-six chasers Blackburn Rovers at The Hawthorns.

Makhtar Gueye’s clinical brace - including a stunning acrobatic effort - was enough to secure all three points and help the visitors leapfrog the Baggies in the Championship standings. West Brom saw two goals disallowed when 1-0 down, one a clear offside from Will Lankshear but the other highly controversial as Adam Armstrong was penalised for a soft foul. Blackburn, far more ruthless in the final third, probably deserved the win but Tony Mowbray and his men will feel aggrieved to not have scored one.

The first half was dull by all accounts as both teams grappeled for a proper foothold in the tie. Albion had the better of possession but were far from incisive with their final balls, often failing to beat the first man. West Brom defender Torbjorn Heggem went the closest, heading powerfully onto the post from a deep Isaac Price cross. Blackburn had the odd surge forward on the counter-attack but only Tyrhys Dolan could threaten Joe Wildsmith, forcing a routine stop with a powerful effort from range.

The encounter was on a knife edge heading into the interval but certainly not afterward as Blackburn came out firing. Whatever stand-in coach David Lowe said at half-time must’ve worked as his team had a spring in their step. Blackburn had a huge penalty shout turned down as Gueye was brought down by Mason Holgate’s sliding challenge, a let-off for the West Brom defender as he got none of the ball and certainly made contact.

Rovers then got what they felt was justice from the resultant corner as Dominic Hyam headed the ball back into the danger area and Gueye connected with a remarkable acrobatic attempt. Wildsmith should’ve done better at his near post, even with the power of the shot. Gueye then went agonisingly close to scoring another just a few minutes later, cracking the underside of the crossbar with a thunderous strike.

Albion thought they’d equalised as Armstrong nodded in at the far post from a corner but the goal was ruled out for a push on Hyam’s back. It looked very harsh as it was merely a nudge. The frustration then grew stronger six minutes later as Lankshear poked home from a fine Price cross but the linesman’s flag was raised for offside.

Blackburn, still a threat on the transition, doubled their advantage in the 63rd minute as Gueye composed himself nicely to strike into the roof of the net from an Andreas Weimann cut-back. Albion simply had to defend better as Wildsmith couldn’t decide to come or go for the initial cross-field pass and Holgate and Heggem both stood off Gueye, affording him the time and space to finish.

West Brom had a mountain to climb and Blackburn were able to camp out in a low block to defend their lead. A few decent crosses were swung in but Rovers dealt with them sufficiently. Hods of Albion fans, unconvinced by what they’d seen, headed for the exits with a quarter of an hour to play. For those who left, they did miss a decent Darnell Furlong header saved by Aynsley Pears at full stretch - and a stinging long shot from Jed Wallace - but Albion were unable to reduce the deficit.

Without further ado, here’s how the Baggies players rated on a dismal Wednesday evening under the lights.

West Brom player ratings from Blackburn defeat

Joe Wildsmith - 4

Beaten too easily for Gueye’s first goal as he flapped at the ball at his near post. Hesitated to come out and claim ahead of Gueye’s second, another horrendous error. Made a routine stop to deny Dolan in the first half.

Darnell Furlong - 6

Went close to a late goal as his header was tipped over the bar by Pears. Not at fault for either goal but allowed Hedges plenty of space to pick out dangerous passes in the second half.

Mason Holgate - 5

Couldn’t deal with Gueye’s physicality throughout, often backed into and beaten for strength. Passed around the back fairly comfortably.

Torbjorn Heggem - 6

Won his fair share of aerial duels and struck the post with a great headed effort in the first half. Stood off for the second Gueye goal, however.

Callum Styles - 5

Struggled to keep Dolan at bay and gave away a foul in a dangerous area for a sloppy challenge on the Blackburn winger. Let a couple of really poor touches get away from him too.

Alex Mowatt - 6 (off 70’)

Accurate with his passing for the most part but wasn’t able to contribute enough in the final third.

Jayson Molumby - 5

The match-winner at the weekend struggled to have the same effect this evening, often giving up possession whenever pressed. Failed with many of his forward passes, too, directing them straight at Blackburn defenders.

Isaac Price - 6 (off 70’)

Tried too hard to force passes through the channels, often struggling for accuracy. Did swing in the excellent cross for Heggem’s woodwork hit, though, and was the one to whip in the delivery for Lankshear’s offside goal.

Mikey Johnston - 6 (off 56’)

Completed a couple of excellent cross-field passes and always tried to speed up attacks with weaving runs across the field. Many of those ended in him running into traffic, mind.

Tom Fellows - 5 (off 56’)

Showed endeavour but, much like many of his attacking counterparts, lacked a cutting edge.

Adam Armstrong - 6

So unlucky not to score his second Albion goal as he headed in from a corner but was penalised for a light nudge on the defender’s back.

Will Lankshear - 6 (on 56’)

Found the net but was flagged for offside. Got in some decent areas but didn’t have another chance to score his first West Brom goal.

Grady Diangana - 6 (on 56’)

Offered some fresh legs and directness on the right but his efforts amounted to nothing.