West Bromwich Albion 0-2 Sheffield Utd: New Baggies boss Carlos Corberan starts with defeat

Tommy Doyle (centre) was the supply line for Iliman Ndiaye's 11th-minute opener for Sheffield United

New West Bromwich Albion head coach Carlos Corberan began his reign badly as the relegation-threatened Baggies lost at home to pre-season promotion rivals Sheffield United.

Two goals in the first 23 minutes from Blades strikers Iliman Ndiaye and Oli McBurnie leave the Baggies still in the Championship drop zone.

And, by the end of the afternoon, they had slipped from 23rd to bottom, with just two wins from 17 games, thanks to former Huddersfield boss Corberan's old club winning at home to Millwall.

After Swansea City only managed a draw in the other lunchtime kick-off, it lifted Paul Heckingbottom's Blades a place back up to fourth in the Championship table, as they finally put an end to their previously winless six-game run in October.

Victory came at a cost, however, with the loss of striker Rhian Brewster with a hamstring injury, just 11 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute.

For Corberan, despite the perceived benefit of starting his time in charge with a home game, it ended up as a repeat of the same 2-0 scoreline suffered at Bramall Lane by his predecessor Steve Bruce in his first game back in February - and did nothing to assuage the audible frustration of the increasingly hostile home crowd.

It took just 11 minutes for the Blades to break down the hosts, when Tommy Doyle chipped a neat ball over the top to the right side of the penalty area, George Baldock squared across and, although the incoming McBurnie completely missed his kick, Ndiaye was lurking behind him. He feinted to his right before sliding a nice low right-foot finish with his instep into the bottom-right corner.

Carlos Corberan was taking charge of his first game since being sacked by Olympiakos in September

The Blades then doubled their lead when Senegal international Ndiaye set up Scotland striker McBurnie with the chance to make amends for his earlier miss.

Ndiaye made a bold forward surge following a neat five-man passing move from the back, released McBurnie on the edge of the box and his strike partner cut inside before finding the same bottom-right corner with another well-struck right-foot shot.

Matt Phillips had a shot kept out low to his left by Blades keeper Adam Davies before the break. But, although the visitors scored with their only two efforts on target, and Albion carved out a few more openings after a half-time formation switch from 3-4-3 formation to 4-2-3-1, they really had little else to show other than sweat and toil.

The hosts were booed off at the end of both halves by some sections of the Albion fans as Corberan, the beleaguered Baggies' fifth boss in under two years, was left with no illusions as to the size of the task ahead of him.

It may need a lot more than just a bit of 'new manager bounce' as the Baggies bid to climb back from their lowest league position since August 2001, when they lost their first three games of the campaign.

Who's next?

Both sides are in action again this Tuesday night, when Sheffield United go to Bristol City and Albion are at home again to Blackpool.

West Bromwich Albion head coach Carlos Corberan told BBC Radio WM:

"We need to improve and be more clinical in both boxes.

"But, at the same time, there was our level of organisation, especially in the second half.

"It shows that, with a lot of work, we are going to move forward from this situation."

Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Sheffield:

"To come here, have to make changes, keep a clean sheet and make chances ourselves was a very good effort.

"There was a bit of everything in it, both with and without the ball - and the two goals were fantastic.

"A big blow for us losing Rhian Brewster. It's a setback but let's hope that's all it is. We're going to miss him."