Carlos Corberan: West Brom were wasteful in front of goal
Carlos Corberan blamed Albion's damaging 2-0 defeat at Hull on a wastefulness in front of goal.
The Baggies shipped two poor goals as their away woes continued at the MKM Stadium as Benjamin Tetteh struck in the first period before Dara O'Shea turned through his own net.
The latest defeat, a fifth away in a row in all competitions, leaves Corberan's side six points adrift of the top six with rivals in action this weekend. Play-off hopes are not entirely extinguished but ever fading as Albion continue to draw a blank away from The Hawthorns.
Corberan said: "An analysis of the game is very simple. Everything we created we couldn't score, the few things they did create they did score from. In the first goal, the consequence for me was our decision to manage the ball - we should've done better. After we had a couple of opportunities to win some challenges, and it cost a goal in one game in which we were very dominant.
"After the opening goal, sometimes you can lose a bit of confidence and you can increase your frustration - you can start to give the ball to the opponent when we should've managed it better. In the second half, you can watch the action - was it offside or not? The action before the corner, the save of the keeper. It's offside, and the corner doesn't exist and you don't concede this goal.
"It wasn't offside. The keeper did a very good save, and after we couldn't protect the save he did by defending the corner better. We could've scored one goal and it would've changed the feeling, but against Birmingham we created chances and today we stopped the opportunities of Hull in the full game - that's what you want to see from your team. Today, what was key was what happened in both boxes."
The visitors had 21 shots at goal at the MKM Stadium, with six on target. Hull managed six and two, respectively. It was also 70 per cent possession in favour of Corberan's side and while creating chances was not an issue, Albion's lack of composure was costly.
Asked about the stark struggle away from The Hawthorns, Corberan said he could only analyse each performance and what worked and what was lacking.
"I understand that people will have to give me the same question, but I have to analyse the performances individually. Today we were much better with our goals expected (xG - expected goals) of the team, if you see the goals expected of the opponent...we were performing well," Corberan said.
"We didn't win the game, though, and that means that there are things we need to improve. Attacking in the last third, and concentration and solving better the few opportunities they had to create a chance. This is the summary.
"If we played this game at home, it would be the same. If we don't score chances and they score, you have the same result. I can understand the difference if we played away to what we do at home, then you could say why the team isn't playing at the same level home and away.
"Against Birmingham, we had 70% of the ball. Today, we had 70% of the ball. Sometimes the more we have the ball, the less we are scoring, but what you have to do is to be better than the opponent by creating enough chances and of course you can be attacking well, but the defence is the key one.
"Today, in defence we didn't find a way to better solve. That's why we have a defeat, which I don't care if it's at home or away, being honest. We don't want it, and we missed a big opportunity to add three points that were massive for us. We have to move to the next one to take three points that we couldn't add here. Next one will be at home, but I will have the same confidence as if we were away - we need to perform well both home and away."