West Bromwich Albion 3 - Burnley 1

Date:	Sunday 23rd August 2026
Competition:	Sky Bet Championship
WBA: 7.8	(4-4-1-1) O'Leary 6.9, Galves 6.3, Phillips 7.1, Campbell 6.9, Styles 6.4, Whitwell 7.6 (Nzingoula, 81 6.4), Molumby 7.0 (Mepham, 94 5.8), Diakité 8.3, Price 8.2, Horn Myhre 5.8, Morgan 6.4 (Stewart, 78 6.0) Unused subs: Ingram, Bielik, Bany, Townsend, Williams, Bostock Manager: James Morrison 8.2
Burnley: 4.9	(4-2-3-1) Weiss, Sonne (Roberts, 46), Walker, Alleyne, Humphreys (Pires, 78), Laurent (Satpaev, 57), Mejbri (Amdouni, 57), Edwards, Ramsey, Bruun Larsen, Broja (Raghouber, 57) Unused subs: Coudert, Worrall, Ahmedhodzic, Mike Trésor
Scorers:	Whitwell (18), Price (46, 65 pen); Styles (8 og)
Referee:	Anthony Backhouse 4.9
Attendance:	24,720 Home Fans 8.4 Away Fans 5.9

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Ratings submitted so far: 19

Brendan Clegg:

Well that really was a great performance - a very high level... almost as high as the volume on the new PA system, from which my ears are still ringing!

Going into the game without Heggebø after his pretty astonishing suspension, it was interesting to see whether we'd go with Stewart like-for-like or try something different.

Mozza brought Molumby back in and played The Horn as a far advanced midfielder supporting Morgan up top. The Hawthorns was packed (apart from those waiting to get in... honestly we might as well go back to paper tickets or the style cards... how we make basic technology so inefficient is beyond me) and with an optimistic atmosphere we got going.

Very early on we were easy on the eye. No wingers or blistering pace but just lovely movement, short and sharp technical passing, we passed the ball really well and opened them up in a lovely move - Price hitting a pretty good opening straight at the keeper.

Our first setback pretty much reflected the contest I thought - in that we were miles better than Burnley, far superior tactically but as a relegated side they did have individuals with quality who could hurt you individually. We were on top and they were chasing shadows but the Horn, although softly fouled, lost the ball and they broke at pace, got a cross in and Styles (who hadn't had the best of starts) looked it into his own net.

There were a couple of other 'bloody hell' moments from Burnley throughout the game - the one deep cross that their player controlled over his head sent the entire Brummie Road end the wrong way and they nearly scored from that too.

But other than that it was all us. We didn't let their goal stop how we were playing. We didn't panic. Our play was still very tidy, the pass and move and interchanging of positions led us to play some really nice stuff and pull Burnley everywhere.

Qualified coaches and tacticians will know this better than me but off the ball we were outstanding - swarming the centre and winnings 50/50s then retrieving the ball back to safety; and our press looked so well drilled that it constantly forced Burnley into errors... I was trying to work out the triggers but the positioning of everyone, the aggression and effort they put in were all just everything you want in your team.

It wasn't long before we got the equaliser and Whitwell made it look a lot easier than it was, showing brilliant technique to steer a left footed finish into the bottom corner after a Morgan got in front of a defender to lay it off.

We were the better team for most of the rest of the half and had some other nearly moments - again Price having a similar chance from another sweeping move was the main one - but we did have to hang on a bit towards the end. You could see the younger players and players new to the league (Morgan, The Horn, Whitwell, Galves) really needed halftime to rest and get some energy back because it was relentless but we dug in.

No changes after the break and we got our noses in front early with Price beautifully curling what was at best a half chance on the half volley from his own touch high and into the corner of the net.

And I loved the next spell about us. No Mason-esque retreat. We continued to have control of the game, dominate the ball and pull them all over the place. Another slick move saw Whitwell slipped in and he was tripped before he could fire home. Price slotted home the penalty and we never looked in danger.

Burnley tried to change it with a host of subs but our shape and organisation were too good. Mozza made the players who started really work and our own subs came late with Rabby and Stewart coming on for Morgan and Whitwell.

We naturally sat back when the subs came on although I felt we still looked like the more likely team to score, and despite a bit of Molumby cramp at the death we got over the line.

The results are great obviously, but the way we are going about them is really impressive. This is a tough league and the volume of games will be too much for our squad as-is but if we can add a couple more bodies then it feels like we're in for an exciting and enjoyable season.

O'Leary - 7 Solid again. Reliable with his hands and feet - good decision making.
Galves - 6 Stood up to it well. He was out on his feet at 70 minutes and the mistakes crept in but he'll be better for it. Promising.
Phillips - 7 His best form for us. Monstered it.
Campbell - 7 Was also really good. Quick across the ground. His technique can look a bit strange but it works!
Styles - 6 ropey start but got better as the game went on.
Whitwell - 7 What a lovely footballer. Moves it so well with either foot, uses his body brilliantly. Ran his legs off.
Diakite - 8 Totally dominated the centre. Incredible he wasn't getting games. Just needed a run. If he sharpens up the passing there will be suitors.
Molumby - 7 Was such a vital cog - absolutely embodied the coaches instructions. Always in the right place.
Price - 7 Brilliant goals, a threat, never stopped running or doing the dirty stuff.
The Horn - 6 Loads of energy, lost it a bit weakly a couple of times and the timing is off - but the quality is there to see and these are just new league/new team wrinkles.
Morgan - 7 I didn't think he could play that well up front on his own. He fought for everything, ran wide and he created 2 of our goals by getting to crosses first for laybacks even if he wasn't in control of either. He'll learn a lot from the offsides and how clever defenders are at this level - everyone in the Smethwick was giving the lino pelters but he was right... it's split-second stuff. But overall he was a lion up there and it gives us an interesting dilemma for the next league game.

Stewart - 6 Showed his potential and also where he needs to learn... but again there is a lot to like and work with.
Rabby - 6 Short cameo, did his job.

I feel like Mozza hasn't got any choice other than to play a fair few squad players up at Newcastle - it's a tough draw and a tough week for us but would be understandable. It's a trophy Newcastle will want to win and our squad is still too thin so I think it's one we're going to have to sacrifice.

Kev Buckley:

Not clear why the "delayed-VAR" suspension of Heggebø saw him replaced by Molumby, but the latter's return to the starting line-up gave it a bit of a 4-2-3-1 "retro" feel, leaving just Morgan up front.

Five minutes in and a nice move down our right saw Price arriving, from the left, at the penalty spot, only to hit a right-footed shot that was way too soft and too close to the keeper.

Albion were still pressing down our right three minutes later, when the referee let a pull on FHM go, and Burnley moved the ball upfield delivering a cross onto which both their players and ours were running, only for Styles, possibly choosing the wrong foot with which to attempt a clearance, to turn the ball into his own net.

Ten minutes later, and although it appeared that another attacking move had broken down, a couple of fortunate scuffs later, after Morgan had only half-controlled the ball, saw Whitwell turning the ball into the net. Perhaps not quite as clinical a finish as the way that he would have dreamed of his first Albion goal: but a goal nonetheless.

With about ten remaining, another nice move down our right saw Price, once again, only getting off a shot that didn't trouble the keeper, although this time, when Burnley marauded straight back up the other end, the player that Galves lost completely at the back post, was only able to turn the ball across the goal and onto the far post.

Albion would benefit from a couple more fortunate bounces within a couple of minutes of the restart, although Price's lovely curler, from the left corner of the box, into the far side of the goal, as the ball fell to him, suggested that he's better when doesn't have too much time to think about the strike and just lets instinct take over. Still not convinced he's the wide left starting option.

Almost immediately after the restart from that goal, we broke through the middle but didn't have enough pace to fashion a shooting chance.

Burnley's triple substitution, after about ten minutes of the second half did see them gain a bit of a foothold back into the game but the best they manage was a shot at O'Leary, before Albion were attacking again, and, although Diakite seemed to have lost it, the loose ball just about played Whitwell in on the right side of the box, where his heel was clipped by a defender and the ref pointed to the spot. Price, although having even more time to think about where to place it, placed it into the net.

As the clock ran down, Stewart replaced Morgan, whilst Nzingoula's introduction gave Whitwell the chance to take some applause as he left the field.

In time allowed for stoppages, Molumby went down with cramp, not that he got much pity from the support staff supposedly supporting him off the field: Mepham coming on to fill the gap.

Although Burnley didn't look to be anywhere close to the side that went up, it should take nothing away from the Albion performance, and, whilst I don't normally single out individuals, Diakite was immense: now if only he could appreciate a pass, in the way that I was hoping he would, on a couple of occasions.