West Bromwich Albion slipped to yet another defeat last night, meaning they have only won one of their last eight in all competitions.

Despite dominating the game on the statistics, boasting 64% possession and 18 shots, a Scott Hogan hat trick was enough to see Birmingham City run out 3-2 winners in this Championship clash.

The Baggies were pegged back early but showed fighting spirit to equalise just seven minutes later through Jed Wallace. A wonderful team goal that slipped the winger through to finish through the legs of the keeper.

However, another two goals meant that Brandon Thomas-Asante’s late penalty, his second goal in as many games, was merely a consolation.

Despite there being a number of poor performers for Steve Bruce, one that stands out is a man they have been so reliant on over the years.

Only three of his teammates received a worse SofaScore rating than Kyle Bartley, with goalkeeper David Button receiving the worst due to not making a single save.

However, Bartley’s 6.3 SofaScore rating is indicative of a man who offered little protection to the man in between the sticks. The 31-year-old made zero tackles throughout the game, outlining his uselessness in defending his goal.

One could expect his experience to shine through for West Brom during this tough period, however, he badly let Bruce down with a defensive disaster class that cost his side.

This performance extended further to the fact that he blocked no shots and made no interceptions either, whilst the 6 foot 1 lightweight also lost possession 13 times from just 59 touches before being hooked in the 77th minute.

He lost Hogan for the first goal which allowed him to cut in and score and not only did he give the ball away initially, but he was beaten once again by the striker for the third goal.

A man who has been renowned across the Hawthorns for his no-nonsense defensive attitude, he will be disappointed by the façade unravelled last night, leaving the Midlands side 20^th in the league with just nine points from nine games.

Bruce will certainly be feeling the pressure, as he was brought in to steer the side to a playoff push. Instead, they seem to be slumping towards the wrong end of the table, and performances like Bartley’s will not help him at all in changing their fortunes.

They will now travel to second-placed Norwich City in the hopes they can pull off a miracle and topple one of the favourites for promotion.