Late Weimann Strike Secures Victory for West Bromwich Albion in West Midlands Derby

West Bromwich Albion claimed a hard-fought victory over Birmingham City in a West Midlands derby courtesy of a late goal from Andi Weimann. The former Aston Villa striker made an instant impact, converting Darnell Furlong‘s low cross with a superb left-footed flick. This marked Weimann’s first goal for West Brom since joining the club from Bristol City in January.

The match ended on a sour note as Blues substitute Juninho Bacuna raised concerns about alleged racist abuse from the home stand, leading to heated scenes at the final whistle. Both teams and matchday stewards were involved in what turned into an ugly incident, overshadowing an otherwise incident-free game.

Although Birmingham had emerged victorious in their previous four encounters against West Brom, this West Midlands clash proved to be a close affair with few scoring opportunities for either side. After a lackluster first half, Alex Mowatt came close to opening the scoring for West Brom with a header from Conor Townsend’s delivery, narrowly missing the target.

Birmingham then went agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock when Kevin Long’s near-post flick from Andre Dozzell’s corner struck the inside of the post but rebounded safely into the hands of West Brom keeper Alex Palmer. However, it was the introduction of Weimann in the 69th minute that ultimately made the difference and secured the victory for West Brom.

Currently placed fifth in the Championship, West Brom remains eleven points behind fourth-placed Ipswich. Their next challenge awaits them at Portman Road as they face Ipswich next Saturday. Meanwhile, Birmingham City, who rose to 19th position thanks to Stoke City‘s heavy defeat, will aim to bounce back in their upcoming fixture against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

West Bromwich Albion head coach Carlos Corberan expressed satisfaction with the result, acknowledging the challenging week leading up to the match. On the other hand, Birmingham City manager Tony Mowbray lamented the narrow defeat, believing that his side competed well and stifled West Brom’s attacking threat. However, he acknowledged that the home side took advantage of their one chance and secured the win.