West Brom dig in to frustrate Stoke as stalemate steadies the ship | OneFootball

Match in Five Sentences: West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City finished goalless at the Hawthorns. The clearest first half opening came in the 25th minute when Nathaniel Phillips' header was saved by Tommy Simkin. After the interval Stoke looked sharper when Lamine Cissé came on and teed up Tatsuki Seko for a sight of goal (52.). The numbers told the story of defending first, with West Brom making 30 clearances as Max O'Leary also denied Sorba Thomas (36.). Albion rise from 22nd to 20th while Stoke slip from 12th to 13th, with West Brom visiting Birmingham next and Stoke travelling to Charlton.

Player of the Match: Max O'Leary kept West Brom organised and unflustered, producing key stops from Sorba Thomas and Million Manhoef while handling crosses cleanly to secure the clean sheet.

Stat of the Match: West Bromwich Albion made 30 clearances, a snapshot of how deep they defended to earn the point.

Three Things We Learned: Nathaniel Phillips was a wall for Albion with 12 clearances, the most by any player. Alex Mowatt led chance creation for the hosts, supplying four key passes. Stoke's delivery was consistent, completing 38.5% of their 13 crosses, but the finishing touch never arrived.