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Player Ratings: West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Stoke City

Sports Mole rates the best and worst players in West Bromwich Albion's 1-0 win over Stoke City at The Hawthorns in the Premier League.

West Bromwich Albion claimed a 1-0 victory over Stoke City in their Premier League clash this afternoon.

Brown Ideye headed in from Craig Gardner's cross to seal Albion the points, with the Potters unable to muster a response.

The Baggies are now 11 points clear of the relegation zone and have extended their winning run at home to four games.

Here, Sports Mole rates the best and worst players on show in the clash at The Hawthorns.

WEST BROM:

Goal

Ben Foster: Was barely troubled by the Stoke attack and was forced to make just one save before heading off injured after a coming together with Crouch. (6/10)

Defence

Craig Dawson: Put in a decent shift at full-back and made a number of forward runs. He was brought down inside the box midway through the second half and should have been given a penalty. (7/10)

Gareth McAuley: Strong performance at the back and made sure that Crouch and Walters had as few chances to test the keeper as possible. (7/10)

Joleon Lescott: Another positive showing from a West Brom defender. Solid throughout the match and won a number of aerial battles. (7/10)

Chris Brunt: The Irishman filled in well at left back and did not put a foot wrong. Tried to help out his team going forward too and never wasted possession. (7/10)

Midfield

James Morrison: Was the best player on the pitch this afternoon. He created plenty of chances for his teammates and almost scored with a powerful strike that had to be tipped over by the keeper. (8/10)

Craig Gardner: Impressive showing from the versatile midfielder. Set up the only goal of the game with a brilliant cross that was headed in by Ideye. (7/10)

Darren Fletcher: The former Manchester United captain helped his team to dominate the midfield and always looked calm and confident in possession, which rubbed off on his teammates. (7/10)

Stephane Sessegnon: Was especially lively in the first half and delivered a number of telling crosses. His influence waned after the break, but he was still a danger to the Stoke defence. (7/10)

Attack

Brown Ideye: Scored the winner with a great header from Gardner's inviting cross. Was a handful for the opposition all afternoon and came close to grabbing a second with a fine low strike that was tipped wide by Begovic. (8/10)

Saido Berahino: Although he did not score, the young striker was full of running and caused all manner of problems for the Potters. He had a couple of shots early on that helped to set the tone for a dominant West Brom display. (7/10)

Substitutes

Boaz Myhill: Came on for the injured Foster and made a smart save to tip over a Walters header. He was well positioned near the end of the match to save an effort from Crouch and was a dominant presence in goal. (7/10)

Jonas Olsson: Replaced the injured Ideye in stoppage time to help ensure that Albion came away with the points. (6/10)

Chris Baird: Was brought on for the final moments of injury time to eat up some valuable seconds. (6/10)


STOKE:

Goal

Asmir Begovic: Made a howler that almost led to a goal in the first half, but he did make a number of saves to help keep the score down to just one goal. (6/10)

Defence

Phil Bardsley: Looked to get forward whenever he could and tried his luck with a couple of wayward strikes. He was not too solid at the back, though, and allowed Ideye space to score, before almost conceding a penalty for a foul on Dawson that went unpunished. (6/10)

Marc Wilson: Was given a tough afternoon by West Brom's forward duo and never looked comfortable against the pace of Ideye, who got in behind him on more than one occasion. (6/10)

Ryan Shawcross: The Stoke captain returned from injury to the heart of the defence and made a number of strong challenges and vital interceptions. (7/10)

Erik Pieters: Had to deal with the trickery and pace of Sessegnon in the opening 45 minutes, but did not reappear in the second half after being replaced by Cameron. (6/10)

Midfield

Glenn Whelan: Struggled to keep hold of possession and was unable to stop West Brom from breaking at pace through the midfield. (5/10)

Charlie Adam: Had a poor game and was unable to cause his usual threat from set pieces and long balls. (5/10)

Steven N'Zonzi: Put in a decent shift, but could not help his teammates to dominate the midfield. (6/10)

Attack

Victor Moses: Very quiet showing from the winger, who posed no threat to the West Brom defence. He was eventually replaced by Arnautovic just before the hour mark. (5/10)

Jonathan Walters: One of Stoke's most dangerous players. Forced Myhill into a rare save from his looping header. A head injury soon after forced him off the pitch. (6/10)

Peter Crouch: Looked a danger when the ball was played long into his path and had a late header saved by the keeper. He was feeding off scraps throughout and can hardly be blamed for his side's defeat. (6/10)

Substitutes

Mame Biram Diouf: Brought on for Walters and failed to make an impact. (6/10)

Marko Arnautovic: Struggled to get into the match and delivered a really poor free kick straight into the wall in the final minutes, with plenty of his teammates in the box to look for. (5/10)

Geoff Cameron: Replaced Pieters at half time and put in a solid shift in the defence. (6/10)


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Brown Ideye of West Brom celebrates scoring the opening goal with team mates Darren Fletcher of West Brom and Craig Gardner of West Brom (C) during the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City at The Hawthorns on March 14,
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