Four things we learnt from West Brom's victory over Bristol City

West Bromwich Albion bounced back from their midweek defeat to Coventry City by beating Bristol City at Ashton Gate, heaping pressure on Robins’ boss Nigel Pearson.

Matt Phillips opened the scoring after just nine minutes after he was slotted through on goal with a pass from deep supplied by Conor Townsend.

Albion goalkeeper Alex Palmer pulled off a smart stop to deny Tommy Conway his seventh EFL Championship goal of the campaign just before the break.

But it was Brandon Thomas-Asante who once again grabbed the headlines as he looped an effort over the goalkeeper from range for his fifth league goal of the season.

Here are four things we learnt from the game.

Baggies show quality after midweek defeat

After five straight Championship wins before their trip to the CBS Arena on Wednesday night, their defeat to Coventry proved to be somewhat of a reality check.

Manager Carlos Corberan had taken them to within three points of the play-off positions prior to their clash with the Sky Blues, but an abject performance coupled with a late Victor Gyokeres penalty saw them leave Warwickshire empty handed.

And for the first time during his short reign, the Spaniard's ability to pick his team up would have been tested.

That is exactly what Corberan managed to do as they produced one of their better performances of the season to comfortably beat the Robins.

The midfield was a key issue against Coventry, as the boss opted for a pairing of John Swift and Tom Rogic in-front of holding midfielder Okay Yokuslu.

This was a combination that seemed best suited for games that they were expected to dominate, and with Mark Robins' side on a good run of form - that was not likely to happen.

However, after identifying that issue, Corberan switched Rogic for the more energetic and defensive minded Jayson Molumby - who partnered Yokuslu in a deeper position.

The change proved to be a pivotal one as Albion dominated the midfield third with ease.

Albion fans are beginning to trust in the fact they have a manager who might make mistakes, but has the detailed footballing eye to fix them too.

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Pressure mounting on Pearson

Pearson's reign at Ashton Gate has not been one to shout about for Robins fans, with two bottom half finishes during his time in the South-West.

But after 89 games in charge, pressure is beginning to mount on the former Watford, Derby County and Leicester City boss.

A key issue that has begun arising over recent weeks is his persistence to not pick natural centre-backs in that position.

24-year-old Rob Atkinson would be an instinctive fit for the back-line, but Pearson clearly shares a contrasting view.

Instead of starting the Fulham academy graduate against the Baggies, the boss opted for midfielder Andy King to partner Kal Naismith at centre-back.

This caused uproar amongst Robins fans, and brought ironic cheers amongst the Ashton Gate faithful when King was brought off after picking up an injury - to be replaced by Atkinson.

With the boss reported to 'not trust' the defender, this seemed a slight admittance to defeat for him.

It will be an interesting story to follow, with plenty of City fans calling for the manager's head.

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Yokuslu delivers midfield quality

When West Brom signed Turkish international Okay Yokuslu on a permanent deal in the summer, they were seemingly getting a signing of real quality for their midfield.

And his performance yesterday not only showed that, but was reminiscent of his Premier League loan spell with Albion in 2020/21.

The former Celta Vigo, Getafe and Trabzonspor midfielder added a real edge to an area of the field that they had been vulnerable in during their previous game.

It was a typical battle-hardened showing from the Turk, who amassed a huge nine ball recoveries along with five interceptions.

But an element of his game showed against the Robins, surprised plenty of Baggies fans.

The midfielder progressed the ball through the thirds well and acted as a catalyst to break down a typically leaky Bristol structure.

Corberan will hope Yokuslu can keep up this level of performances as they chase down the play-off positions - a statement unheard of when he took over at the club.

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