West Brom had less of the ball and more of the chances
West Ham1 – 3West Brom 
West Brom beat West Ham 3-1 at the London Stadium by turning better-than-usual chances into goals, while West Ham's chances fell short of their norm.
Expected goals, or xG, is a score for how good each shot was, judged by where it was taken from and how it was struck. West Brom's total at the London Stadium was 2.04, above the 1.76 they average away from home and well above the 1.39 a typical Championship side creates per game. When a team gets into those positions more often than usual, the rest of the afternoon tends to follow from it.
They turned those chances into three goals, and that is where the match was decided. Felix Horn Myhre put them ahead in the 20th minute after a pass from J. Morgan, and Morgan scored the second in the 48th minute with Myhre providing the assist. Callum Styles added the third in the 72nd minute, the goal that settled it.
Ball possession
What makes this stand out is how little of the ball West Brom had. They held 45% of possession, against the 54.7% they average on the road, so they had less of the game than usual and still created more. Possession simply means how much of the ball a side keeps, and a team with less of it usually has fewer chances, not more.
West Ham had 55% of the ball, but that was also below the 58.5% they average at home. They took 14 shots, short of their usual 15.6, and their xG of 1.01 sat under the 1.49 they normally produce at the London Stadium. Jarrod Bowen's equaliser in the 29th minute was their only goal, against a home average of 2.5, so the chances were not there for them to finish.
Their five shots on target were a real test, and M. O’Leary made four saves to keep the margin where it was for most of the second half. Nobody was sent off, so the gap came from chances and finishing alone, not from anyone playing a man short. J. Morgan's display earned a rating of 9, the highest in the match, because he both scored and set up a goal.
West Ham's home defence had been conceding 1.1 goals a game this season, and it let in three here. West Brom's 45% of the ball and their modest shot count still ended with the three points, which is the part of this result that will stay with the table. West Ham sit fifth on 22 points, and West Brom seventh on 21, both from 12 games.
J. Morgan1 goal · 1 assist
F. Myhre1 goal · 1 assist
C. Styles1 goal
B. Pereira1 chance created