The Warmdown: Bristol City well-beaten by rampant Albion

West Bromwich Albion took authority over another poor Bristol City performance to reinstate themselves into the top two of the EFL Championship table.

Jordan Hugill scored his first goal for the Baggies to open the scoring, sweeping a finish past Daniel Bentley after a well-worked move following some intricate play in the midfield.

West Brom captain for the day Kyle Bartley then flicked on a Darnell Furlong long-throw into the net to double the home side's advantage.

Man in-form Karlan Grant made it six goals in as many games finally punishing Bristol City’s sloppy passing at the back, as he latched onto a stray backpass from Danny Simpson to slot home.

Midfield dynamo's

Robert Snodgrass replaced the suspended Jake Livermore in the starting 11, meaning he started his first league game since February - a score draw against Manchester United.

The former West Ham, Hull City and Leeds United man provided Albion with much-needed experience and quality on the ball, this meant that West Brom were able to retain possession in the midfield.

In their last game where they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Swansea City at the Swansea.com Stadium, the midfield became outnumbered too easily - Snodgrass helped to combat this.

The Scot's composure and frequent willingness to put his foot on the ball and slow down the play meant the Baggies strayed away from the rushed and harried style in the middle of the park was no more.

Jayson Molumby also picked up a start following injury and suspension in Valerien Ismael's midfield unit.

The Irishman brought energy and dynamism, inflicting the high press upon the Bristol backline to win the ball back, particularly for Hugill's opener.

Snodgrass and Molumby were seen as backup options in Ismael's squad, however, after that performance, they've given the former Barnsley manager a real headache when Alex Mowatt and Livermore return from absence.

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Bristol blues

Former West Brom caretaker manager Nigel Pearson returned to The Hawthorns after a brief stint as the boss in 2006 following Bryan Robson's departure.

Bristol City were incapable of stringing passes together, and even though Han-Noah Massengo looked sharp and able on the ball, him being the only one in the side with an attacking purpose meant that City couldn't create any clear cut opportunities.

Pearson hauled off 21-year-old George Tanner after only 34 minutes due to the fact that in-form Grant found himself in behind on several occasions - a route that created lots of space for the opener.

The former Watford, Leicester City and Derby County manager wasn't helped by individual errors from his side, former Leicester right-back Simpson played a wayward back-pass allowing Grant to help West Brom on their way.

Bristol City’s away form has been parallel to their home form however this performance was far from the organised system we've seen from the Robins this season as they were carved open on far too many occasions.

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Hit and miss Hugill

Hugill picked up his first Albion goal in this game, a sweeping finish past Bentley after a square ball from Furlong.

However, the on-loan Norwich City striker could've had a handful of goals at The Hawthorns after several guilt-edged opportunities were missed.

The former Preston North-End, Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United forward had the chance to double his tally but fired over from very close range following Conor Townsend's low driven cross.

This, combined with some decent goalkeeping from Bentley meant that the Middlesborough academy product couldn't pick up any more goals.

Baggies fans were delighted to see him on the scoresheet but couldn't help but think about the potential scoreline had the striker put away even half of the chances.

With rumours of Orlando City striker Daryl Dike signing still circulating, perhaps alternative striking options may be considered in January.

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