Tony Mowbray believes Albion’s 1-0 win over QPR is the “biggest result of the season”.
The Baggies scored the only goal towards the end of the first 45 when Adam Armstrong converted the club’s first penalty of the 2024/25 campaign.
Moments later, Darnell Furlong was dismissed following a collision with Rangers winger Koki Saito.
It left Mowbray’s men needing to get through the second period without their No.2 and the visitors piled on the pressure.
Albion defended bravely and held on to claim a huge victory as the race for the Sky Bet Championship play-offs heats up.
The boss was full of praise for both the effort and determination the players produced and the support Baggies fans provided in the face of “adversity”.
Tony said: “It’s a massive victory for us. I have to thank the supporters who were fantastic throughout the game, but especially in that second half when we need the extra man and it came from the terraces.
“We were backs to the wall against a decent team and the fans got us through.
“First half, they were good with the ball and they played through us a couple of times.
“It was a difficult 45 minutes after the break because they had the extra man and we knew they’d be pushing to find an equaliser. The crowd made a lot of noise and gave the players the extra five or ten per cent that they needed to dig in and show the resolve required to get the three points.
“I’ve said to the lads in the dressing room that that’s probably our biggest result of the season, in my opinion. Other teams have been beaten and others have got draws. We've got a big win.
“I didn’t see too much of what happened for the penalty but I did see Adam Armstrong stick it in the goal. I had every confidence he would do that. I’ve seen him score loads of penalties for my teams over the years. He’s a very assured penalty taker.
“The sending off was right in front of me. Darnell Furlong has tried to step across the lad and put shoulder-to-shoulder and the lad seemed to duck underneath him. I think there’s probably been contact on the chin or in the face.
“I don’t think there’s any intention from Darnell to do that, I think he’s just tried to block a run like what happens one hundred times in a game, especially from set-pieces. There’s no malice and we’ll have to have a look at it to see if we’re going to appeal it. I think it was a harsh decision on us.
“It changed everything that sending off. I had to temper the frustration of the first-half performance in my talk. We needed to be better. Everything changed though because we were down to ten and we had to decide how to approach the rest of the game. We went 4-4-1 and made the sub which was harsh on Tom.
“I felt we were going to be out of possession and we needed resistance to their gameplan. After about 20 to 25 minutes we switched to a back five and put Isaac Price at right-wing back. It seemed to work. We had lots of bodies in key areas and central defenders heading the ball out of the box.
“We showed resolve in bucket loads. I’m delighted we’ve kept a clean sheet on a very difficult day.
“The fans saw the adversity the team faced. They became the 11th man after we had Darnell sent off. It almost evened it up with the supporters driving the individuals on the grass. We got there together. Their joy at the end, celebrating with the players – they are moments you can’t put into words. They are amazing moments and you can’t put into words how powerful they are.
“The fans can see they have a team that is working hard and grating, trying to help the football club win a match. I hope today they’re driving home happy. The fans made the team feel special today.”
