Albion earned a fantastic 2-0 victory against Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon.
Two early goals from Daryl Dike were ultimately the difference, claiming the Baggies all three Sky Bet Championship points and ending Boro’s five-match winning streak.
The result ensures Carlos Corberán’s men remain unbeaten in their last nine home league fixtures, having kept clean sheets in all-but-one of them.
Corberán made three changes to his starting XI, bringing Jayson Molumby, Grady Diangana and Dike into his XI.
And the decision to include the American striker appeared to be an inspired one as he netted a brace to fire Albion two goals ahead inside the opening 10 minutes.
Dike’s first came following an excellent move involving John Swift and Jed Wallace - the latter crossing for the Baggies’ No.12 to poke home from close-range – and the second a well-taken rebound almost straight away.
The hosts then managed to see out the remainder of the half while Middlesbrough looked for a way back – Josh Griffiths making an excellent save to stop Marcus Forss’ goal-bound effort, and a more comfortable one to deny Chuba Akpom’s header.
Goalscorer Dike created himself a great opportunity with some superb footwork in the box immediately after the break – however, Steffen was there to save his low finish.
Albion also had an opportunity to grab their third on the hour-mark, Swift’s dangerous corner finding Dara O’Shea, who nodded inches wide.
Boro came again in the middle and later stages of the second period, though didn’t test Griffiths until the 97th minute, when he brilliantly denied Isaiah Jones only a few yards out.
It was a professional performance from the Baggies back-line, and those in front of them, to get through the lengthy stoppage time, and they left the pitch to a great Hawthorns reception.
Albion: Griffiths; Furlong, O’Shea, Pieters (Ajayi 86), Townsend; Molumby (Gardner-Hickman 90+5), Yokuslu; Wallace, Swift (Chalobah 86), Diangana (Albrighton 50); Dike (Thomas-Asante 77).
Substitutes: Button, Reach.
Attendance: 25,204