Carlos Corberán hailed Albion’s “spirit” and “mentality” as they recorded a fourth successive Sky Bet Championship victory up at the Stadium of Light on Monday night.
The Baggies returned to action after a month-long break with an impressive 2-1 win against Sunderland thanks to second-half goals from substitutes Tom Rogic and Daryl Dike – both finding the net in Albion colours for the first time.
Sunderland had earlier taken the lead through Amad Diallo’s penalty, and the boss reserved a special mention for the fight his side showed on Wearside to come from behind and claim the points.
Corberán said: “I think that we struggled to adapt to the intensity of the game early on.
“They played at a better intensity than us in the first periods, maybe because of the fact that they played a competitive game last weekend.
“Sometimes when you play away from home and the hosts are putting a lot of pressure on you, you can find it difficult to adapt and force your own style on the game.
“They got their goal and then after that they started to get a little deeper and we were able to counter when they came forward. We started to gain confidence and that helped us improve our belief that we could win the game.
“Our team showed a lot of mentality and a lot of spirit tonight. We played with the kind of spirit that can help change results, and thankfully that’s what happened.
“We know that every player is important to us and every player can contribute when they are fit. We have a very strong squad and a very strong group of players.
“We want every player to be available and to be fit and to be giving the same level of commitment.
“I have to say thank you to the fans. I feel so proud of them. I hope they enjoyed tonight and I know they’ll go home enjoying the feeling of winning.
“Everything we do is for them.”
