West Brom 2-0 Oxford: Alex Mowatt and John Swift net in narrow Baggies win

West Brom climbed back into the Championship play-off places with a 2-0 home win over goal-shy Oxford.

Former Oxford loan midfielder Alex Mowatt's 11th-minute goal and substitute John Swift's strike deep into second-half stoppage time returned Tony Mowbray's side to winning ways and moved them up to fifth.

Albion should have won more comfortably after Oxford goalkeeper Jamie Cumming denied Adam Armstrong, Jayson Molumby and Mowatt and the hosts wasted chances galore.

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Oxford, now six games without a win, have not scored in their last four matches and sit eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Albion, who had lost to Blackburn and drawn with Millwall in their last two outings, threatened when Semi Ajayi headed well wide from Isaac Price's corner.

And Mowbray's side took a deserved lead with a well-worked goal.

Molumby started the move with a forward pass to Price, who found Mowatt with a sublime ball that took out Ciaron Brown and Joe Bennett before the midfielder slotted low past Cumming from six yards.

It was the 30-year-old's sixth goal of the season and against the club where he spent the 2017-18 season on loan from Barnsley.

Armstrong should then have done better than firing wildly over 25 yards out.

Molumby sent a diving header straight at Cumming then Ajayi glanced over the bar when Torbjorn Heggem, flying in behind him, would have been the better option from Mikey Johnston's cross.

Armstrong was denied a spectacular goal when his full-blooded volley drew a diving save from Cumming after Michal Helik headed away Mowatt's deep pass.

Oxford's only real effort came in the 47th minute when Przemyslaw Placheta cut inside and rifled a curling effort well over.

Armstrong wasted two chances, first missing the ball from Callum Styles' cross then curling a free-kick narrowly over.

Winger Matt Phillips - back at the Hawthorns for the first time since leaving last summer - was warmly applauded as he was substituted for Stanley Mills in the 64th minute.

Mowatt's swerving 30-yard effort was kept out by Cumming's flying one-handed save.

Albion substitute Mason Holgate headed over from Tom Fellows' cross then Price scooped the ball over as the hosts dominated.

Darnell Furlong failed to covert Styles' cross as he fell at the far post.

The game was stopped in the 87th minute for around five minutes with what appeared to be a medical emergency in the Birmingham Road End, which was seemingly resolved.

Play resumed with nine minutes added on, and it was in the 11th extra minute that Swift tapped into an empty net from the edge of the box to finally seal victory.

It came after substitute Tammer Bany sent the forward through following an Oxford corner, with Cumming stranded hopelessly upfield having gone up for the set-piece.

The managers

West Brom's Tony Mowbray:

"We say the same every week. We dominated Blackburn yet lost 2-0 after not taking our chances.

"We've got to get better at creating 20 chances and hitting the target in at least 10 of them and scoring three or four goals.

"At the moment we're getting four or five on target out of 15 or 20 and we have to be more clinical.

"We have to find ways of getting behind them or playing through them."

Oxford's Gary Rowett:

"It was a poor start from us and we allowed them to dictate the game but Tony Mowbray teams do that.

"It would help not to concede a goal after 11 minutes although it was good play from them.

"After that we huffed and puffed but we put them under some good pressure with five, 10 minutes to go."

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