West Brom 0-3 Leicester: Player Ratings as Jamie Vardy Brace Sinks Bland Baggies
West Brom kicked off their Premier League return in torrid fashion, as three second-half goals handed Leicester a comfortable 3-0 win at the Hawthorns on Sunday.
New boy Timothy Castagne got on the scoresheet before Jamie Vardy sealed the deal with two penalties. The Baggies, on the other hand, did very little.
Here are your player ratings for West Brom vs Leicester.
WEST BROM
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Sam Johnstone (GK) - 6/10 - Made saves, sure, but they were straight at him.
Kyle Bartley (CB) - 5/10 - Was a touch indecisive in how to deal with Jamie Vardy. To be fair, most are.
Semi Ajayi (CB) - 6/10 - The question of who in this West Brom squad can make the step up in the top-flight might already have been answered. Ajayi was the best of the three - but that isn't saying too much.
Dara O'Shea (CB) - 4/10 - Was left exposed by Furlong on a couple of occasions with Harvey Barnes proving a difficult customer. Lost his marker for the opener.
2. Midfielders & Wing-Backs
Darnell Furlong (RWB) - 5/10 - Was the more adventurous of the wing-backs, but was caught out high up on a couple of occasions.
Jake Livermore (CM) - 6/10 - Aggressive in the challenge. Unfortunately not many of them didn't result in him giving away a foul.
Romaine Sawyers (CM) - 5/10 - Couldn't influence the game as much as he would have liked and was subbed on 70 minutes.
Kieran Gibbs (LWB) - 6/10 - Wasn't too troubled by Ayoze Perez, who he kept quiet, but offered precious little in the final third.
3. Forwards
Matheus Pereira (RM) - 6/10 - Tried to influence the game but couldn't find the space he needed to feed passes in behind the Leicester back line.
Callum Robinson (ST) - 4/10 - Ran the channels but kept doing it from offside positions and had little to no impact on proceedings.
Grady Diangana (LW) - 6/10 - Looked lively in the opening period but as West Brom struggled to get a grip on the game so did Diangana.
4. Substitutes
Hal Robson-Kanu - 5/10
Rakeem Harper - 5/10
Kyle Edwards - 4/10
LEICESTER
5. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Kasper Schmeichel (GK) - 6/10 - A spectator with little to do. West Brom had just one shot on target all afternoon.
Timothy Castagne (RB) - 8/10 - Loves running. Really loves running. Also likes good heading technique which he showed for the goal. A very solid debut.
Wilfred Ndidi (CB) - 6/10 - Wasn't overly busy but it's noticeable that central defensive is not his preferred role.
Çağlar Söyüncü (CB) - 7/10 - Good on the ball, positive in his passing and solid. As he was from last season.
James Justin (LB) - 5/10 - Was the obvious weak link in the Leicester side in his unfamiliar left-back role. Got an early booking and looked off the pace.
6. Midfielders
Ayoze Perez (RM) - 5/10 - Did sweet naff all. Couldn't get past Gibbs when he tried and was hauled off in the second half.
Dennis Praet (CM) - 7/10 - Quiet in the first half, Praet grew into the game as West Brom legs tired before grabbing the assist for the first goal.
Nampalys Mendy (CM) - 8/10 - Acting as the Ndidi in front of the actual Ndidi, Mendy was lively, comfortable on the ball and helped the Foxes keep ticking over.
Youri Tielemans (CM) - 7/10 - Most of the West Brom players couldn't get near him. Looked much sharper than his Baggies opponents and could be key for Leicester this season.
Harvey Barnes (LM) - 7/10 - Energetic without being clinical, he missed a few good opportunities in the first half, firing straight at Johnstone.
7. Forwards
Jamie Vardy (ST) - 8/10 - Struggled for service but scored two superbly taken penalties and, well, that's all that matters right?
8. Substitutes
Marc Albrighton - 7/10
James Maddison - N/A