Grady Diangana scored a brace as Tony Mowbray enjoyed a glorious homecoming in West Brom’s 5-1 Sky Bet Championship victory over Portsmouth in a nightmare game for goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid at The Hawthorns.
Portsmouth’s Schmid gifted goals for Alex Mowatt and Diangana before former Pompey winger Jed Wallace – and Diangana again – made it 4-0 before half-time.
John Swift scored the fifth in the 56th minute in Albion’s joint-biggest win since a 7-1 victory against QPR in August 2018, while substitute Thomas Waddingham scored a late debut consolation.
Diangana, who is out of contract this summer, also assisted for Mowatt and Wallace.
Mowbray’s last win at The Hawthorns in charge of Albion was 5,740 days ago – on May 9, 2009 – as they won 3-1 against Wigan.
The 61-year-old’s first game back as head coach ended in defeat as they lost 2-0 at his former club Middlesbrough on Tuesday, but he will be hoping Albion continue in this vein after a return to the free-flowing football of his first spell with a first win in five.
Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho’s decision to rest five players from Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Stoke backfired as they chased their third straight victory, crashing to a seventh-consecutive away defeat.
Diangana gave warning of what was to come when he sent a curling effort just wide, while Ryley Towler headed wide from Matt Ritchie’s corner as the visitors looked for an early breakthrough.
But after Albion took a 25th-minute lead against a highly-obliging goalkeeper and defence, they never looked back.
Schmid seemed to have Mowatt’s 25-yard drive covered diving to his left, but the ball squirmed through the Austrian’s hands and into the bottom corner of the net.
Mowatt’s fifth goal of the season was his third against Pompey after his double at Fratton Park in September’s 3-0 win.
Schmid’s nightmare spell continued and Towler cleared off the line after Diangana rounded him when Callum Styles put the winger through.
Schmid’s afternoon went from bad to worse in the 32nd minute as Albion doubled their lead.
Diangana slid the ball home after Schmid spilled Mikey Johnston’s routine shot after the latter nutmegged one player then breezed past Marlon Pack.
Diangana turned provider as Wallace slid home to make it 3-0 in the 37th minute. The former West Ham winger spun Andre Dozzell on halfway and surged goalwards before unselfishly slipping the ball to Wallace, who sidefooted home.
Diangana was on fire and he punished a woeful attempt at an offside trap for the fourth goal, racing onto Mason Holgate’s through ball before sidefooting past Schmid in the 44th minute.
Pompey were booed off at half-time.
Schmid could only palm a routine shot from Johnston back into danger, which almost saw Towler scoring an own goal.
Swift made it 5-0 with a fierce shot that took a slight deflection on its way into the roof of the net from 12 yards.
Portsmouth substitute Josh Murphy was denied by a desperate clearance by Torbjorn Heggem after beating Palmer.
Substitute Waddingham scored a stoppage-time debut consolation at the second attempt with virtually the last kick.
