West Bromwich Albion continued their poor start to the 2020/21 campaign as they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup, losing 5-4 on penalties to Championship side Brentford.

All the action came in the second half at The Hawthorns where Baggies forward Hal Robson-Kanu scored a brace of penalties either side of a stunning Emiliano Marcondes overhead-kick, however, Marcus Forss levelled the game with a penalty of his own to send the affair to a penalty shootout. 

Christian Nørgaard scored the winning spot-kick for Brentford after Grady Diangana's effort was saved moments before to send The Bees into the fourth round, where they will face either Fulham or Sheffield Wednesday.

New signings show positive signs for Baggies


Albion manager Slaven Bilic named a full-changed starting XI from their 5-2 defeat to Everton in the Premier League, including debuts to new signings Connor Gallagher and Branislav Ivanovic who both give West Brom fans something to look forward too after a poor run of recent results. 

Signing on loan from Chelsea FC last week, Gallagher started as an advanced midfielder for Bilic's side and was a breath of fresh air into the Baggies midfield.

Gallagher offers more creativity and trickery in the forward third in comparison to Albion's current midfield options and the 20-year-old was the main outlet for West Brom to create chances throughout the game. 

He looked confident all game and wasn't shy to take risks - proving that in the penalty shootout when he chipped the ball down the middle of the goal. 

At the other end of the pitch, other debutant Ivanovic offered much more experience to a relatively young West Brom back-line, and the Serbian defender put in a solid shift before being taken off just before the hour mark. 

A good chance of Silverware gone.


It's no secret that West Brom's aim this season will be to maintain their position in the Premier League, so when the chance at winning some silverware comes along, it's understanding that some Albion fans are upset with the lack of ambition shown by Bilic in the Carabao Cup. 

After defeating Harrogate Town in the second round and going into Tuesday night's fixture already knowing that the fourth round opposition is either Championship side Sheffield Wednesday or relegation rivals Fulham, the Baggies could've had a real shot at making it far in the competition this year.

The last cup competition West Brom won was the FA Cup in 1968, so it would've been nice for Albion to really give it a good go.

A potentially busy end to the Transfer Window. 


After the defeat, it could be seen that there are a few positions in the West Brom side where they need a bit of improvement, and Bilic addressed his concerns in his post-match press conference as he urged the club's owners to invest more in his squad. 

“Hopefully,” he said to Birmingham Live. “Everybody knows we need a couple more players and we are doing everything to get them.

“I hope our owners recognise the situation and help us to get there.”

A position that Bilic has publicly addressed he wants to improve in the past is his number nine, with Huddersfield striker Karlan Grant their main target. 

Another player the Baggies are still in pursuit of is midfielder Filip Krovinovic. The 25-year-old spent last season on loan at The Hawthorns and was a key player in West Brom's promotion to the Premier League, however Bilic is currently struggling to bring the Croatian back to his side due to the demands of his parent side, Benfica.