Josh Maja proved to be the match-winner once again for West Brom, netting the decisive goal that secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Plymouth at The Hawthorns. This crucial win keeps West Brom at the top of the EFL Championship table.
The Baggies have now gone unbeaten in their first six league matches, marking their best start to a season since the 1992/93 campaign under former manager Ossie Ardiles.
In what was an evenly contested match, both teams finished with 50% possession. West Brom’s goalkeeper made three saves, while Plymouth’s managed four. The only difference between the sides came from Maja’s 63rd-minute strike, his sixth goal in as many appearances this season.
Maja, who has earned one cap for Nigeria, was substituted in the 78th minute for Grady Diangana. His fellow Nigerian, Semi Ajayi, played the full 90 minutes.
West Brom manager Carlos Corberán praised his team’s performance, highlighting their “commitment, belief, and hard work” as key to securing the three points against Plymouth.
“The result today happened as a result of the commitment, a massive level of belief and hard work. I’m very happy with the result we have achieved today,” Corberán said after the game.
“In the first half, we had very good possibilities to score the goal. We had a number of big chances to arrive at half time in the lead.
“Thankfully, in the second half, we found that goal and then we had to go on to show a lot of commitment and resilience in our defending.
“It’s clear. If we hadn’t kept a clean sheet today, we wouldn’t have won the game. Everything in football is related. The better you attack, the less you have to defend. The better you attack and defend, the more options you have to win.”
