Blackburn Rovers fell to defeat on the opening day of the season as an early goal from Isaac Price earned West Brom a 1-0 win.
In a tight game at the Hawthorns, Valerien Ismael's side controlled the game for large portion but did not create enough to test Josh Griffiths.
They fell behind to a poor goal, with Darnell Furlong's long throw causing havoc. Lewis Price stabbed the ball in from 10 yards after it wasn't cleared and that proved to be decisive.
Balazs Toth had to make important saves to keep out Aune Heggebo and Price in either half. At the other end, Griffiths had to deny Yuki Ohashi, who also felt he should've had a penalty after a tangle in the box.
The second half saw Rovers dominate the ball but they didn't do enough to break down West Brom. Despite large pressure at the end, Ismael's side left empty-handed.
The French head coach handed four debuts in his Rovers' XI with Ryan Alebiosu, Sean McLoughlin, Axel Henriksson and Dion De Neve getting their first outing in blue and white. For three of those, it was a Championship debut with Lewis Miller and Sidnei Tavares also included on the bench.
The hosts caused issues early on from set-pieces with Toth forced to keep out Price's clever free-kick after shooting from a wide angle.
However, there was little the Rovers goalkeeper could do to prevent his side from falling behind. A long throw into the box caused carnage and the ball was knocked back for Price to stab in from 10 yards. A really soft goal to concede.
Rovers were wobbling and Albion looked dangerous. New signing Aune Heggebo was denied by the legs of Toth whilst McLoughlin made a brilliant block to deny Price a second.
Ismael's side began to earn a foothold as the half progressed but lacked punch at the top end of the pitch. Yuki Ohashi forced Josh Griffiths into a save after keeping the ball alive in the box but, otherwise, the WBA goal remained untested.
Rovers felt they should've had a penalty just before half-time when Ohashi tangled with Torbjorn Heggem in the box. It looked clumsy from the defender and replays would suggest so too.
The visitors controlled large portions of the second half but were unable to break West Brom down. At the other end, Toth was called into action again to keep out star man Price.
Lewis Miller's introduction gave Rovers a bigger threat from set-pieces. His long throw caused issues in the box whilst he twice got on the end of corner-kicks but couldn't divert his effort goalwards or to a team-mate.
Rovers played against ten men for the final minutes after Furlong was sent off after receiving a second yellow card. He wiped out Ohashi on the edge of the box and gave Blackburn a man advantage.
There was not enough time for that to count, though, and Ismael's side fell to defeat on the opening day for the first time since 2020/21.
Attendance:
Referee: David Webb
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