Nigel Pearson lauds Bristol City’s ‘resilience’ after disciplined win over West Brom

Nigel Pearson hailed Bristol City’s ‘disciplined’ performance in their 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night.

Joe Williams and Nahki Wells netted first-half goals to give the visitors a comfortable lead at the break. The Baggies largely controlled the second half but a resolute performance from the Robins defence allowed them to see the game out comfortably.

Following just one win in their last nine matches, City were in need of three points, and Pearson was complimentary of his side on the night.

“It was the performance we were looking for,” he said. “I don’t know whether it was a reaction or not. It was what we needed, to get three points, so yes really good.

“We’ve come in for a bit of criticism and I can't disagree with some of it but we showed tonight that we can defend set pieces.”

It was the first time since March 2021 that the Robins were able to deny their opposition from recording a shot on target, as stellar performances from the three centre-halves proved impenetrable on the night.

Pearson agreed that it was a committed performance from his side, and continued: “Organised too, and also calm, I think that shone through as well. Not just determination but an ability to deal with the pressure, we need that more often of course.”

The return of Matty James and a tweak in formation allowed City to dominate the ball well in the first half, despite some high pressure from Albion.

Both Williams and Alex Scott played their parts in calming the game down in key moments in the middle of the park, and the manager went on to talk about the control of the performance.

Pearson explained: “We showed a lot of discipline out there tonight. We decided to go with a flat three in midfield just to try and get more control in possession but also to have that extra insurance in front of them and I think we did it pretty well.

“I thought we passed the ball really well in the first half actually, we had some really good spells of possession. Second half they were gonna come at us and they made a few positive changes in regard to substitutions and put us under a bit more pressure.

“But we were organised and the players take a lot of credit for that today, they were able to show resilience by concentrating on the job at hand.”

Pearson’s side are now up to 11th place in the EFL Championship table, and face a trip to ninth-placed Reading on Saturday.