Feeling satisfied, manager Carlos Corberan thought Albion’s 2-0 victory over Bristol City was a result of a clinical period that occurred either side of halftime.
Tom Fellows and Jed Wallace scored goals shortly before and after the break at The Hawthorns, converting a scoreless first half into a comfortable win in the top six race.
Although Corberan pointed out that only a three-goal lead can be considered comfortable, the Baggies may have increased their lead before the mid-table Robins eventually started to show indications of coming back into the match.
Albion was not overly strained, though, and with eight games left in the regular season before the last international break of the season, their first back-to-back league victories of 2024 and only their second clean sheet in seven were welcome.
If we were to claim that it was comfortable, I believe that we ought to have scored the third goal. A goal in the last seconds of these kinds of games can alter the mood “Corberan said.
“We had to insist on the things we needed to do and be consistent rather than patient. To generate an opportunity while your opponent is well-organized and defending, you must disorganize them.
“When you start doing that, good things might happen, but mistakes can also happen, which presents them with possibilities. Overall, we did a good job of managing certain offensive moments but not others. Likewise with defense. To be more successful in the game, there are some aspects you must improve.”
With the win, the Baggies increased their lead over seventh-place Hull, who were idle today and therefore have a game in hand, to eight points, giving them serious hope for a play-off spot.
Corberan is concentrating on increasing the positive 20 minutes or so that he observed from his side either side of the intermission.
The head coach went on, “I think the last five minutes of the first half and the first fifteen or twenty minutes of the second half were arguably the team’s best minutes.”
“My goal is to lengthen these minutes, to begin and terminate the wonderful minutes at different times.
“It’s true that we had opportunities to create something extra during the transition after we scored our second goal, but we didn’t use them well enough.”
The Spaniard cautioned that things may get nerve-wracking if the opposition is given the opportunity to respond late on, as Albion discovered in their most recent home game against Coventry.
He stated, “They are a side with enough quality in the last third, with the men they put from the bench, they are individuals that can do something individually. Sometimes you surrender a set-piece goal or anything.”
“It was crucial to maintain the clean sheet today because, just when you believe you are winning, giving up a goal may turn the tide for both your team and the opposition. Not giving up a goal was essential to a convincing victory.”
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