Championship: West Brom go top of the league
Portsmouth 0 - 3 West Bromwich Albion
Alex Mowatt scored twice as West Bromwich Albion claimed an impressive 3-0 win over Portsmouth, sending them to the top of the Championship.
The Baggies now lead the table with 13 points from five games, overtaking Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers, and Burnley.
A closer look at what happened
West Brom got off to a flying start, with forward Josh Maja finding the net in the first minute. Mowatt then added a superb second-half strike and later sealed the victory with a stunning late free-kick, securing all three points for Carlos Corberán's side.
Portsmouth, currently second from bottom, are still searching for their first league win of the season. It's been a tough start to their return to the second tier, with some challenging opening fixtures.
West Brom set the pace early on when Tom Fellows raced down the right side of the Portsmouth box, cutting the ball back for Maja to calmly slot home, much to the delight of the travelling Baggies supporters.
Despite falling behind so early, John Mousinho’s Portsmouth responded with determination. Callum Lang came close to an equaliser after pressing the West Brom defence, but his shot flew just wide of the target.
The Baggies almost doubled their lead before half-time when Maja's header was brilliantly saved by Will Norris, who just managed to keep the ball from crossing the line.
In the second half, Mowatt extended West Brom's lead with a brilliant curling effort from the edge of the box, placing it perfectly in the top left corner beyond Norris’ reach.
Portsmouth had a chance to pull one back when debutant Josh Murphy's effort narrowly missed Alex Palmer’s far post shortly after the hour mark.
However, Mowatt put the game beyond doubt in stoppage time, curling a beautiful free-kick into the top right corner, capping off a dominant display.
One bright spot for Portsmouth was the return of defender Regan Poole, who made his comeback ten months after suffering a injury.
