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West Brom go top of Championship with 3-0 win at Portsmouth Josh Maja puts Baggies ahead after 70 seconds Alex Mowatt doubles Albion's lead early in second half and adds third with sublime late free-kick Baggies remain unbeaten in league this season Portsmouth still winless since Championship return and drop to 23rd Ben Kosky and Steve Mather Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Tony 'Bomber' Brown West Brom's all-time leading goalscorer on BBC Radio WM Saydee's been the threat for Portsmouth,

he’s put himself about. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Roars of approval from the home fans as Semi Ajayi has his name taken by the referee for bundling over Callum Lang. Again Pompey threaten from the free-kick, but West Brom's defence is holding firm. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Close again to a second for the Baggies as Karlan Grant heads over from Tom Fellows' cross, but it's fair to say the next goal could equally come at either end. Portsmouth have looked dangerous going forward in spells - the challenge for them is to convert that into clear chances as we approach the end of the first half. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Andy Moon BBC Radio Solent commentator Norris must have clawed that one back, stopping

it from crossing the line. That was millimetres away from crossing the line. Saydee

switched off and Norris has managed to somehow keep it out. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Zak Swanson is back in the action again and Pompey need all their defenders available as Josh Maja almost makes it 2-0. It's thanks to Will Norris that they don't - the keeper somehow scoops Maja's header out from just inside the post after Darnell Furlong's long throw reached the striker inside the box. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Andy Moon BBC Radio Solent commentator Pompey are fuming that there wasn’t a yellow card

for Heggem there. Swanson is still lying off the pitch in some discomfort. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Guy Whittingham Former Portsmouth manager on BBC Radio Solent They’re lucky to get away with that one. He (Maja) should have buried that first time but it’s a good block. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Heart in mouth time for Pompey fans as Zak Swanson's snatched clearance lands at the feet of Josh Maja, who takes a touch and lets fly - but Tom Mc Intyre gets his body in the way. Mc Intyre is making his first appearance of the campaign, having been injured towards the end of last season and he's certainly been needed at the back so far today. Stoppage in play at the moment as Swanson is down injured following an aerial challenge with Torbjorn Heggem. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Having survived that spell of Portsmouth pressure, the visitors are starting to threaten going forward again. Karlan Grant gallops into the box and forces a fine tip-over save from Will Norris before the resulting corner finds its way to John Swift, who drills over from distance. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Steve Hermon Reporter, BBC Radio WM Excellent defending and perhaps a goal-saving challenge there from

Furlong. That was absolutely superb. Two vital blocks from Furlong and then Bartley

inside the six-yard box. Alex Palmer then grabs the ball and says calm down,

which is a bit hypocritical as he was the one who started the chaos. Bartley is

shouting at Palmer and Molumby, saying what are you doing? Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom West Brom's defence are under real pressure at the moment. They concede possession to Callum Lang, who pulls the trigger, but Alex Palmer makes the save and, fortunately for him, the rebounds spins off Kyle Bartley and behind for a corner. The Fratton Park crowd are rarely quiet, but they're sensing there might be something to really cheer in the near future. .. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Dan George BBC Sport at Fratton Park Portsmouth have responded well since going behind, Josh Murphy on his league debut for the Blues commanding the respect of the West Brom defenders down the left. Callum Lang has been close to getting on the end of a few crosses into the box, he doesn't stop running, constantly pressing and on occasions forcing mistakes. Wave after wave of Portsmouth attack at the moment. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Good defending by Kyle Bartley as Callum Lang steams in to meet a cross from the left and Pompey are threatening down both flanks here. Jordan Williams has a pop at goal from distance, but that's not going to trouble Alex Palmer. Keep in mind that West Brom have only conceded twice so far this season. .. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Tony 'Bomber' Brown West Brom's all-time leading goalscorer on BBC Radio WM They’ve responded well Portsmouth, they’ve got their heads down

and they’re having a go at Albion. They’re throwing men forward. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Portsmouth captain Marlon Pack is beginning to have an influence in the centre of the park and threads a promising ball through for Josh Murphy to chase. Alex Palmer is quick to react and smothers the ball in time. Meanwhile, referee Leigh Doughty has brought out the yellow card for the first time and displayed it to Christian Saydee for a somewhat ugly challenge on Darnell Furlong. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom It's fast and furious as Pompey look for a response, but West Brom are threatening again, with the same combination almost bringing about a second goal. This time Josh Maja releases Tom Fellows and the England Under-21 winger darts inside before thumping a low drive just wide of Will Norris' right-hand post. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Tony 'Bomber' Brown West Brom's all-time leading goalscorer on BBC Radio WM Couldn’t have asked for a better start could they! All Maja has got to

to do is put his foot through it. Absolutely brilliant start for Albion. It's the kind of start you dream of in the changing room before you go out. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Dan George BBC Sport at Fratton Park The West Brom support enjoyed that one, all their supporters jumping up and down, punching the air and singing "we are top of the league". The Fratton Park home crowd are stunned into silence. The teams switched sides just before the kick off, so Portsmouth are attacking the Fratton End in this first half, the Baggies playing towards their travelling support. Portsmouth 0-1 West Brom Steve Hermon Reporter, BBC Radio WM What a start! It's that lethal combo of a Furlong long throw-in and Maja

firing home his fifth goal of the season. The Baggies fans are boinging in the away

end and as it stands they’re going top of the table. Josh Maja What a start for the Baggies! Darnell Furlong hurls a throw down the line, Tom Fellows races onto the ball and cuts it back for Josh Maja to slam into the net. Five goals already this season for Maja, who's now the top scorer in the Championship. Alex Mowatt joined West Bromwich Albion from Barnsley in July 2021 Alex Mowett scored twice to send impressive West Bromwich Albion top of the Championship following a 3-0 victory at Portsmouth. The Baggies climb above Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers and Burnley with 13 points after five games. Forward Josh Maja scored in the first minute before Mowatt's brilliant second-half finish and late free-kick wrapped up the points for Carlos Corberan's team. Next-to-bottom Portsmouth are still winless this season in the league but have been dealt some tough opening fixtures on their return to the second tier. The Baggies started the game fast with that early goal - Tom Fellows making a dash down the right-hand side of the Portsmouth box before cutting it back to Maja who slotted the ball home and celebrated in front of the jubilant travelling West Brom fans. John Mousinho’s Pompey responded well to going behind, coming close to equalising when Callum Lang pressed the Baggies defence and won the ball, but sent his shot wide of the target. West Brom thought they had doubled their lead when Maja's close-range header forced an impressive stop out of Will Norris, who clawed the ball away millimetres from going over the line. In the second half, Mowatt doubled the away side's lead, curling a fabulous effort from the edge of the box into the top left-hand corner of the net past Norris. Portsmouth threatened to get one back as debutant Josh Murphy struck a shot narrowly wide of Alex Palmer's far post just after the hour mark. But Mowatt made sure of the win in injury time with his second brilliant goal - curling a gorgeous free-kick into the top right corner. One positive note for Portsmouth was the return to action of defender Regan Poole, 10 months after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Pompey boss Mousinho said he did not feel the 3-0 scoreline was a "fair reflection" of his side's performance. After going behind, the Blues played well in the first half and threatened the Baggies goal on a number of occasions but couldn't find the quality and end product to score. In the second half, they lost momentum and heads seemed to drop after Mowatt's impressive strike. "I don't think 3-0 was a fair scoreline but ultimately we've got to learn to be realistic of the differences between the two sides, " Mousinho said. "The first half, bar the first minute, was the best football we have played all season, we just need to be a bit more clinical - West Brom were. "I was a lot more pleased with our performance today than I was for the majority of the season so far, I thought we made West Brom struggle in the first half and they're a side I expect to finish in the top two. " It does not get any easier for Portsmouth as they next travel to ex-Premier League side Burnley before welcoming Sheffield United to Fratton Park and going away to Stoke City. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 15th September 2024 at 16: 59 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: John Mousinho Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Carlos Corberán Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Championship All competitions All competitions All competitions This is the first league meeting between Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion since a 2-2 draw in the Premier League back in April 2009. Outside of the Premier League, Portsmouth and West Brom last faced in February 2002, with the Baggies winning 5-0 with goals from Jason Roberts (x2), Larus Sigurdsson, Scott Dobie and Igor Balis. Portsmouth have had just 46 touches in the opposition box in the Championship this season, 14 fewer than anyone else. 45% of Pompey’s efforts at goal have come from outside the box (15/33), the third-highest percentage of any team. Meanwhile, opponents West Brom have had both the fewest shots from outside the box (7) and lowest percentage of outside the box attempts (17%). In their opening four league games this season, West Brom have picked up 10 points (W3 D1). The Baggies are looking to win as many as four of their first five games in a season for just a third time this century, doing so in 2003-04 (W4 L1) and 2021-22 (W4 D1). West Brom forward Josh Maja has been involved in more Championship goals than any other player this season (4 goals, 1 assist), scoring with 50% of his attempts at goal so far (4/8). © 2024 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.