West Brom ease past Hull to record first victory in 14 Championship games

Struggling West Brom posted their first Championship victory in 14 matches as they swept aside play-off hopefuls Hull 3-0 at The Hawthorns and breathed life into their survival chances.

Josh Maja opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when he turned in Jed Wallace’s cross, and strike partner Aune Heggebo doubled the advantage in the 68th minute – by which point the Tigers had been reduced to 10 men having seen Charlie Hughes dismissed for denying a goalscoring opportunity.

Isaac Price added a deserved third late in the game as Albion moved out of the relegation zone.

The hosts began quickly. Hull goalkeeper Ivor Pandur was quickly off his line to deny Heggebo when sought by Price, and then Heggebo was inches away from meeting Danny Imray’s cross from the right hand side.

Albion might have taken the lead through Crystal Palace loanee Imray himself, only for Pandur to beat his drive away at his near post.

Maja’s header shortly afterwards fell the wrong side of the post as the hosts’ early dominance continued, before Hull began to ask questions of their own.

Oli McBurnie went close when he took advantage of defender George Campbell’s misjudgement, but he dragged his shot wide of goal.

The opportunities continued to present themselves in what was an entertaining opening quarter of an hour. Albion captain Wallace pulled one cross back into the path of Heggebo, whose resulting shot after a dummy from Price was weak and comfortably held by Pandur.

Hull, who boast one of the best away records in the Championship this season, went close again when goalkeeper Max O’Leary skewed his clearance into the path of McBurnie, but the Scotland forward was kept at bay by the goal-saving challenge of Nat Phillips.

West Brom did make the breakthrough midway through the first half, when another goalkeeping blunder proved costly. Wallace raced onto his own charge-down after a poor goal kick from Pandur, and his following cross was turned home by Maja.

Matters worsened for the promotion chasing Tigers before half-time. Hughes was caught in possession on the edge of his own penalty area by Wallace and, after tugging the winger back as he raced towards goal, referee Josh Smith deemed it the denial of a goalscoring opportunity and produced his red card.

West Brom might have extended their advantage before half-time when Maja was denied by the fingertips of Pandur, and then former Baggies defender Semi Ajayi glanced Jayson Molumby’s follow-up off the line after Callum Styles had almost netted directly from a corner.

The 10 men of Hull looked to hold Albion, who lost goalkeeper O’Leary to injury in the second half, at bay for as long as possible, but their defence was breached again after the hour mark when substitute Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba, with his first touch of the ball, teed up Heggebo and he applied the finishing touch with a neat, first-time finish.

The hosts, good value for their lead, remained the likelier of the two sides in the closing stages to trouble either goalkeeper and went close again when Styles let fly from 25 yards, only to see his strike cannon off of the crossbar.

They did add a third in stoppage time when Price latched onto Imray’s low centre to emphatically secure their first victory of 2026 – Hull remain fifth having failed to cash in on Millwall’s defeat elsewhere.