Carlos Corberan addresses Josh Maja injury and the penalty West Brom never had

West Brom boss Carlos Corberan spoke briefly of Josh Maja’s suspected ankle injury and the penalty Albion never had.
Carlos Corberan says West Brom will assess Josh Maja’s ankle injury in the coming days after the striker was helped off the pitch at the end of Albion’s goalless draw at Bristol City on Saturday afternoon. Maja made a big impact from the bench when introduced for the final quarter of the Ashton Gate stalemate.

The former Bordeaux forward, the one permanent signing Albion made this past summer, combined well at times with fellow forward Brandon Thomas-Asante and he was played in by another summer signing, Jeremy Sarmiento, deep into stoppage time. Maja went down in the penalty area under a heavy challenge from Kal Naismith. Any penalty appeals from the away end were waved away.

Maja, at full time, was assisted by the Albion medical staff as he limped off the field and down the tunnel. He will undergo scans in the coming days but must be considered, at this stage, a serious doubt to travel to Watford on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately we need to evaluate him because he received a tackle in the box,” Corberan admitted.

As regards to the challenge from Naismith, and the claims for a last-gasp spot-kick in his side’s favour, Corberan reiterated the sympathy he has for officials who haven’t the benefit of VAR to assist them – more so than the Maja incident, he thought there was a better shout earlier in the half when Maja’s shot from the edge of the area struck the arm of a defender.

“This decision, for referees, it’s not easy because you need to decide whether Maja contacted the ball before or whether the defender played it,” Corberan said. “In this situation, there was one cut-back, the ball arrived to Maja, he made a finish and the only way that the defender managed the defend was with the hands, without intention but with the hands.

“That one was a more clear penalty than the other, but in football when you don’t have the VAR, I only can understand that these things are going to happen in football. Sometimes you suffer the consequences, sometimes it goes the other way. I want the fair things. If I want a penalty, I want the referee to give the penalty because it is. If we create a penalty then I’d like the referee to give the penalty that we deserve.”