LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 10: Josh Maja of West Bromwich Albion comes back onto the pitch after he was substituted and waves to the West Bromwich Albion fans after the final whistle in the Sky Bet Championship match between Queens Park Rangers FC and West Bromwich Albion FC at Loftus Road on August 10, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Adam Fradgley/West Bromwich Albion FC via Getty Images)
West Brom star just had his worst game of the season vs Boro.
West Bromwich Albion are now off the top of the Championship perch as Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough got the better of the Baggies at the Hawthorns by a solitary goal.
In truth, it wasn’t the most action-packed spectacle in the West Midlands, but Hayden Hackney would manage to coolly slot home a chance late on for the away side to be crowned slim 1-0 victors.
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There were many underperformers on the night from West Brom’s perspective, with two defeats now worryingly picked up on the spin for the early promotion chasers, after they had once set the pace for the division.
The main West Brom underperformers vs Boro
It was a very poor display from the attackers at Carlos Corberan’s disposal, with just one shot on target accumulated come the full-time whistle.
The likes of Jed Wallace and Karlan Grant were notably below-par down the wings, as the Baggies captain failed to create chances galore for his teammates with just 14 accurate passes registered, whilst Grant failed to complete a single dribble from four attempts.
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Moreover, it was another weak showing from Darnell Furlong after his own goal away at Sheffield Wednesday – who is usually one of the first names on the Spaniard’s teamsheet – with the Baggies number two uncharacteristically sloppy on the ball by squandering possession a costly 16 times.
But, one performance, in particular, will have been heavily scrutinised under the microscope post-match more than others, as Josh Maja failed to ever spark into life.
SO CLOSE! 😰 What a delivery from Alex Mowatt 👠pic.twitter.com/Zx8gqu8SSf — Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 1, 2024
Maja’s performance vs Boro in numbers
It was a strangely wasteful performance from the ex-Fulham striker, who had this golden opportunity put on a plate for him by Alex Mowatt deep into the second 45 minutes, only for his connection to be all off.
Before Tuesday night’s game, Maja had seven goals in seven for the Baggies in league action, but struggled throughout in a bid to make it an unbelievable eight from eight against Carrick’s visitors.
