Albion’s return to The Hawthorns following the World Cup break was marked with a fantastic 3-0 win over Rotherham United on Saturday afternoon.
The victory, watched by a festive crowd of 22,519, is the Baggies’ fifth straight Sky Bet Championship triumph.
Jed Wallace’s first-half finish was added to by substitutes Grady Diangana and Brandon Thomas-Asante in the second period as the hosts claimed another important three points.
Next up, Carlos Corberán’s men make the short trip to Coventry this Wednesday in search of their sixth consecutive success.
Tributes were paid pre-match to Club Doctor Julian Widdowson, who sadly passed away last weekend, and supporters gave further applause during the game in memory of the children involved in the Babbs Mill Park tragedy, as well as for Fanzone worker Liberty Charris.
The boss made two changes to his starting XI, replacing Jayson Molumby and Thomas-Asante with Tom Rogic and Daryl Dike – who both scored at Sunderland on Monday night.
And it was Rogic who created the opener for Albion, his skill and defence-cutting pass playing Jed Wallace through to slot brilliantly past Rotherham goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.
The Baggies were well on top and unfortunate not to double their advantage ahead of half-time, as Okay Yokuslu clipped the outside of the post via a long-distance drive and Wallace saw two ambitious efforts saved.
Rotherham started the second 45 strongly and quickly forced Alex Palmer into a good save, the ‘keeper denying Chiedozie Ogbene at close-range.
But, just as he did at the Stadium of Light, Corberán turned to his bench for an impact – and substitute Diangana delivered with his first touch, volleying home Wallace’s cross to double Albion’s lead no more than 60 seconds after entering the pitch.
Fellow substitute Thomas-Asante almost got on the scoresheet straight away when his sliding shot was well-stopped by Johansson, along with Diangana’s follow-up.
He didn’t have to wait long for his goal, though, earning a penalty before stepping up from 12-yards and finding the back of the net despite Rotherham’s goalkeeper saving his initial attempt.
And Albion ensured they remained strong in the final stages to secure a clean sheet and see out the win in style.
Albion: Palmer; Furlong, O’Shea, Pieters, Townsend; Swift (Gardner-Hickman 67), Yokuslu, Rogic (Molumby 74); Phillips (Diangana 56), Dike (Thomas-Asante 57), Wallace (Grant 74).
Substitutes: Button, Kelly.
Attendance: 22,519