The Eric Ramsay era at West Bromwich Albion began with a rollercoaster of emotions on Friday night. In a match that showcased both the defensive vulnerabilities that have plagued the Baggies this season and a newfound attacking spirit under their new head coach, West Brom fell 3–2 to high-flying Middlesbrough. While the result leaves the Albion in 18th place, the spirited second-half comeback provided a glimmer of hope for the supporters at The Hawthorns.
The Baggies looked to have secured an improbable point after fighting back from a two-goal deficit, only for a 90th-minute strike to snatch the result away in the final moments of regulation. Today at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich, England.
Match recap
Ramsay’s side started brightly, with Aune Heggebø nearly opening the scoring in the third minute after dispossessing Luke Ayling, but his effort was smothered by the Boro keeper. Despite the energetic start, Middlesbrough’s possession-heavy style eventually wore down the West Brom defense. The deadlock was broken in the 42nd minute in unfortunate fashion when an Alex Gilbert strike rattled the post and deflected off Charlie Taylor for an own goal.
The mountain became steeper for Ramsay shortly after the halftime break. In the 57th minute, Sam Silvera doubled the lead for the visitors with a clinical low finish into the bottom corner. Facing a 2–0 deficit, Ramsay turned to his bench, introducing Jed Wallace and Josh Maja to inject life into the attack. The tactical shift paid immediate dividends. Isaac Price halved the deficit with a thunderous free-kick from the edge of the area, and just minutes later, Wallace clinicaly finished from close range to level the match and send The Hawthorns into a frenzy.
However, the comeback story was cut short in the 90th minute. With West Brom pushing for a winner, Middlesbrough launched a clinical counter-attack. Delano Burgzorg was played through on goal and clinicaly fired across the keeper to secure all three points for the visitors, moving them within two points of the Championship leaders.
Eyes on Ramsay
In his first match in the technical area, Ramsay demonstrated a willingness to be tactically flexible. He began the match with a more conservative defensive setup but wasn’t afraid to “take the shackles off” once his side fell behind.
His substitutions were the primary catalyst for the comeback, showing an early ability to read the game and adjust personnel effectively. While the late goal conceded will be a point of frustration, the resilience shown by the players suggests that the “new manager bounce” is taking hold in the locker room.
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