Nat Phillips’ mistake costs West Brom as Wolves win derby 1-0

Fer López breaks the deadlock

Wolverhampton Wanderers edged past West Bromwich Albion 1-0 in the Black Country derby in the Sky Bet Championship at Molineux. The deciding moment came in the second half when Fer López netted the winner.

The mistake that did the damage

As Sky Sports reports, López made the most of a costly error by Nat Phillips. After 50 minutes, the Albion defender played the ball straight into Wolves’ path, and the forward converted to score his fifth goal of the season.

Wolves’ control, Albion’s lack of response

Wolves were largely dominant before the opener, with Mateus Mané causing problems for West Brom’s back line. Sky Sports also highlights how Max O’Leary kept West Brom in the match in the first half, making three outstanding saves.

A partisan atmosphere from a crowd of 30,000 filled Molineux, but the story of the match was Albion’s inability to react once they went behind. Sky Sports adds that this was the first Molineux meeting between the West Midlands rivals in 14 years.

With the derby settled by a single moment, Wolves take the three points on the back of that second-half swing, while West Brom will be left reflecting on Phillips’ pivotal error.