West Brom player ratings gallery: One scores 9/10 in 2-1 win vs Sunderland but two get 4/10

Player ratings from Sunderland 1-2 West Brom – as Tom Rogic and Daryl Dike score to complete a brilliant turnaround for the Baggies.

West Bromwich Albion made a remarkable turnaround at the Stadium of Light this evening to beat Sunderland by two goals to one and make it four successive Championship wins. Carlos Corberan’s men went 1-0 down in the first half but were far better in the second period, with some key tactical decisions proving decisive.

The Baggies made a poor start and it didn’t take long for the Black Cats to make a breakthrough, as Conor Towsend gave away a penalty in the 14th minute for a clumsy challenge on Amad Diallo. The Manchester United loanee converted from the spot, firing hard and low into the bottom right-hand corner to notch his fifth goal in his six games.

Sunderland nearly added a second soon after but Alex Palmer was there to save the day with a fine stop. Ellis Simms made a clever flicked pass to Alex Pritchard who fired at goal with venom, but Palmer made himself huge and smothered out the effort to keep the score at 1-0.

Albion made some decent play out from the back at times, with plenty of one or two-touch passes often ending up out on the right flank with Jed Wallace. Some dangerous crosses nearly caught out Sunderland on a couple of occasions, but the home side were able to stop any clear-cut opportunities from breaking through.

There was a call for a Black Cats red card in the 33rd minute as Danny Batth took down John Swift as the last man, but there was cover arriving and a yellow was the right call. Corberan switched to a back three late on in the first half, allowing his wing-backs to advance a little further up the field.

This tactical shift continued into the second period and Albion looked far better in the early stages of it. Matt Phillips nearly equalised but his shot was saved by Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson. It was a well-worked counter attack as Brandon Thomas-Asante fed Swift on the right and he squared the ball into the penalty area.

Corberan looked to the bench for reinforcements and his decisions just after the hour mark set the tone for the rest of the fixture. Tom Rogic went close in the 67th minute as his long-range effort deflected off Corry Evans and was tipped over the bar by Patterson.

Just a few passages of play later, though, the Australian struck one back with a wonderful outside-of-the-boot effort from just outside the penalty area. Fellow super substitute Daryl Dike laid the ball back to Rogic, who made it look easy. He showed the composure of the highest caliber to fire into the bottom corner with the outside of his boot.

The Baggies kept pushing thereafter and looked a completely different side. One of Wallace’s many crosses finally paid off as he made an inch-perfect ball over to Dike who hit the back of the net with a wonderful header to complete a terrific turnaround. It may have taken a few months of recovery but the American’s long wait was worth it as he notched his first goal of the season.

The Baggies were put under some pressure from the hosts in the dying embers but they were able to hold on for a fine comeback. It is the first time in 29 matches that Albion have come from behind to win. Here are our player ratings from tonight, including one 9/10, two 8s and two 4s.

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