West Bromwich Albion continued their strong start to the 2026/27 Championship campaign with a 1-1 draw against Queens Park Rangers at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
The Baggies had gone 1-0 down in the match after Rumarn Burrell raced clear through on goal and his shot cannoned off Max O’Leary and hit Chris Mepham before bobbling into the back of the net.
Callum Styles, starting in an unnatural position at right-back, cut inside from the right to score a sublime goal to level the score just three minutes after the opener.
Unfortunately, neither side were able to find a winning goal in the end and had to settle for a point a piece, which is far from a bad result for either team.
Why West Brom were fortunate to avoid defeat against QPR
In the second half, it was the away team who had the best chances to grab a second goal to win the match, but they failed to get past O’Leary between the sticks.
QPR had several opportunities to fire the ball into the corner and past the former Bristol City goalkeeper, but their two biggest chances were not hit with enough power or accuracy, giving the stopper a chance to keep them out.
O’Leary did not have to do anything spectacular to keep the shots out, but he deserves credit for them all the same, and James Morrison may be concerned by the lack of creativity from his team in the second 45.
Vs QPR | Callum Styles |
|---|---|
Minutes | 90 |
Goals | 1 |
Big chances created | 0 |
Duels won | 8/13 |
Tackles | 4 |
Interceptions | 1 |
Possession lost | 17x |
Dribbled past | 2x |
Styles scored a brilliant goal to drag his side back into the match, to his credit, but he was also often too wasteful with the ball at his feet, giving away possession the best part of 20 times.
The versatile defender, who typically plays at left-back, was a strong performer for the Baggies, yet he was also one of the reasons why the hosts found themselves under pressure because of some of his mistakes.
The best player on the pitch for West Brom vs QPR
Whilst Styles deserves praise for his superb strike to equalise, the best player on the park for West Brom was a star who is slowly becoming their new version of James Morrison, from his playing days.
Before retiring and eventually becoming the head coach at The Hawthorns, the former Scotland international scored 39 goals and provided 34 assists in 341 appearances for the club as a dynamic central midfielder.
Morrison was a midfielder who bit into challenges, won duels, scored goals, and provided assists, and the Baggies may have unearthed their next version of him.
West Brom swooped to sign Felix Horn Myhre from SK Brann for an initial fee of £2.5m in the summer transfer window, bolstering their options in the middle of the park.
He has yet to explode at The Hawthorns with consistently impressive performances, unfortunately, but his display against QPR was a great step in the right direction.
Myhre started in the number ten role for the Baggies and caught the eye with his contributions on the ball and out of possession throughout the draw.
Vs QPR | Felix Horn Myhre |
|---|---|
Minutes | 74 |
Touches | 39 |
Possession lost | 8x |
Pass accuracy | 85% |
Assists | 1 |
Tackle success rate | 100% |
Duels success rate | 100% |
Duels won | 5/5 |
Dribbled past | 0x |
It was the Norwegian talent who provided the assist for Styles with a pass across the box to find the full-back in a good position to take a shot, showing that he was impactful on the ball in the final third.
He was also incredibly reliable with the ball at his feet, only losing possession eight times, less than half as many times as Styles, and played a role in the build-up to Aune Heggebo’s miss from close range at 0-0.
On top of his offensive work, Myhre also showed that he has the mobility and the physicality to get across the pitch to help his team off the ball, winning all of his duels without being dribbled past a single time.
He was even better than Styles for the Baggies and the best player on the park because he combined offensive play with reliable passing, and strong defensive work throughout his time on the pitch.
Myhre has now scored one goal and provided one assist in eight appearances for West Brom this season, having scored against Rotherham in the League Cup earlier this term.
If he can continue to offer quality defensively, on the ball, and as an attacking threat, the Norwegian star could eventually become the club’s new version of Morrison in the attacking midfield role.
