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Jonas Olsson poor, Rickie Lambert off the pace in WBA's loss to Everton

West Brom carried their poor home form over from last season into their first game at The Hawthorns this campaign as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Everton.

Tony Pulis' side dominated the early proceedings but failed to take advantage. The introduction of Romelu Lukaku for Everton changed the game, as did Pulis' failure to adapt to Everton's switch in shape.

Positives

Gareth McAuley continues to defy his critics, with the 37-year-old putting in a dominant defensive performance in addition to the towering header that gave West Brom an early lead.

Ben Foster's early season form is also encouraging, with the England goalkeeper making three excellent saves to keep Everton at bay.

Negatives

West Brom were unable to retain possession of the ball for any significant period of time, with several simple passes going astray.

After a decent opening day performance at Crystal Palace, Jonas Olsson's display at The Hawthorns was more reminiscent of the poor form that dogged him last season.

The lack of depth in Pulis' squad was shown with Rickie Lambert coming on as they chased a goal. The striker simply isn't up to it at the highest level anymore.

Manager rating out of 10

5 -- Pulis failed to counteract the introduction of Lukaku and was once again far too reactive with his substitutions, waiting for Everton to take the lead before changing the team's shape and introducing more attacking players.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Ben Foster, 8 -- Kept West Brom in the game with some important saves, including one world class stop from Ricardo Funes Mori. Came close to scoring at the end when he went up for a late free kick.

DF Craig Dawson, 6 -- Made one good recovery challenge but given a difficult time by Kevin Mirallas. Got into a couple of decent positions going forward but his final ball wasn't good enough.

DF Gareth McAuley, 7 -- Another imperious display from McAuley, who looked to be the one West Brom player capable of coping with Lukaku's physicality. Won a couple of crucial defensive headers and was a threat in the opposition box, including his brave header for West Brom's goal.

DF Jonas Olsson, 5 -- Looked slow and cumbersome, distribution was generally poor and it was his poor touch and subsequent foul that ultimately led to Everton's winning goal.

DF Jonny Evans, 6 -- Started the game well, making a couple of good interceptions and even getting forward regularly. Struggled once Yannick Bolasie was brought on.

MF Matt Phillips, 5 -- After an impressive debut at Selhurst Park, Phillips was quiet against Everton. Nothing he tried came off and was sometimes lacklustre in his defensive work.

MF Claudio Yacob, 7 -- Yacob continued his decent start to the season with another defensively diligent performance in front of the back four. Used the ball efficiently but sometimes needs to move the ball quicker and with more ambition.

MF Darren Fletcher, 6 -- Looked to lead West Brom from the front as they pressed Everton's defence, had a good battle with Gareth Barry throughout the game. Should have scored when he was one on one with Martin Stekelenburg.

MF Craig Gardner, 6 -- Played some clever passes in dangerous areas in the first half and his dead ball delivery was again excellent. Gave the ball away for Everton's equaliser and tired badly in the second half, like most of his teammates.

FW Saido Berahino, 5 -- Cut a frustrated figure at times, making several fouls. Playing in a deeper position doesn't suit him, with the forward unable to get in the goal-scoring positions he thrives in.

FW Salomon Rondon, 6 -- Much like last season, the Venezuelan was left isolated for long periods of the game. His hold up play was good, but the 26-year-old will have been disappointed not to score in the first half when through on goal.

Substitutes

MF James McClean, 7 -- Another energetic cameo from the winger, who looked to run at his full-back and his final ball had a quality that was lacking last season. However, should have found Rondon late on as West Brom chased an equaliser.

MF Jonathan Leko, 5 -- Didn't receive a lot of the ball, and when he did, looked to tried too much with it.

FW Rickie Lambert, n/a -- Doesn't appear to be quick enough to deal with the pace of the Premier League anymore.