West Bromwich Albion 3-0 Rotherham United: Baggies beat Millers to earn fifth consecutive win
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Summer signing Jed Wallace's goal was his fourth of the season - but his first in three months
Improving West Bromwich Albion claimed their fifth consecutive Championship victory as they beat Rotherham United at The Hawthorns.
Jed Wallace's left-foot shot on the break, set up by Tom Rogic, put Carlos Corberan's side 1-0 up at half-time.
Wallace then crossed for substitute Grady Diangana to score with his first touch on 57 minutes.
And fellow sub Brandon Thomas-Asante scored on the rebound after his penalty was saved as Albion completed victory.
The Baggies climb to 16th, just five points shy of a play-off place, passing Rotherham, who drop to 19th, two points clear of the drop zone.
Having started the day in 18th, a place behind the Millers, it looked like the two sides would be passing each other in the table from the moment that Rogic played in Wallace on 20 minutes and the Albion winger ran on to fire his left-footed effort into the bottom left corner.
Okay Yokuslu's right-foot shot then clipped the outside of the post as the Millers went in at the break only a goal down.
But Diangana doubled Albion's lead 12 minutes into the second period, just seconds after replacing Daryl Dike.
Rotherham unaccountably failed to mark Wallace at a throw-in midway into their own half, the Albion winger crossed from the right and substitute Diangana latched onto it at the near post to volley home with his first touch. Rotherham keeper Viktor Johansson got a hand to it, but could not keep it out.
Thomas-Asante then won a penalty on 70 minutes when he went down under a challenge from Cameron Humphreys just as he was about to run out of room in the box.
He got up to take the penalty himself, which keeper Johansson parried, but Thomas-Asante was alert enough to react the sharpest, steering home the rebound high to the keeper's left.
Who's next?
Rotherham now have a nine-day break before returning to action at home to Stoke City on Boxing Day (26 December).
Albion are at Bristol City on Boxing Day but, before then, they face a local derby trip to Coventry City on Wednesday.
West Bromwich Albion head coach Carlos Corberan told BBC Radio WM:
"The result was positive. Every game we have asked the players to improve.
"The goal for Grady Diangana was very important to his confidence.
"Now we have to be ready for another game on Wednesday night."
Rotherham United manager Matt Taylor told BBC Radio Sheffield:
"We played against a good team, who are in form, with some outstanding players at this level, but the nature of the goals we conceded is another kick where you don't want to be kicked.
"The first was a goal-kick from our possession, first contact, second ball and a ball through our back line. The second came from a throw-in, a carbon copy of what happened last week. And the last one was the worst, a goalkeeper's clearance that went all the way through to our penalty box.
"Six goals in a week that should have been preventable. We have to do better than that. We have lost our defensive rhythm. Everything starts from the back line. It certainly narrows my focus for next week."