West Bromwich Albion went into West Brom Vs Burnley at The Hawthorns without Aune Heggebo, the striker who had been given a two-match ban after scoring with his hand against Norwich City. Burnley also had to reshuffle, with Zian Flemming missing because of injury.
That made the afternoon about more than a routine Championship fixture. West Brom had been looking to build on a 2-1 opening-day win at Norwich City, while Burnley arrived after a 2-2 draw with West Ham. Both sides were forced into changes before the first whistle, and both had lost a forward who had been central to their start.
James Morrison made one enforced change to the West Brom side that won at Carrow Road, with Jayson Molumby replacing Heggebo in the starting line-up. On the Burnley side, Nicky Hayen made two changes from the team that drew with West Ham, bringing in Armando Broja and Josh Laurent while Ugo Raghouber dropped to the bench. Anel Ahmedhodzic was among Burnley's substitutes.
Heggebo's absence carried its own sting because the suspension had come only after West Brom's win at Norwich was already in the books. The Football Association said he had successfully deceived a match official by handling the ball in a direct successful attempt to score a goal, and a regulatory commission upheld the misconduct charge and the ban on Thursday. So the game that followed was shaped not just by team selection, but by the way West Brom's first victory of the season was achieved and then judged.
Even so, West Brom's early numbers suggested a side carrying real momentum. They had lost just one of their past 12 league games, a run that included five wins and six draws, and a win over Burnley would have kept their 100% record intact at home in the Championship this season. That is the standard they need if they are to keep pushing toward a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2021.
The immediate question was how West Brom would cope without Heggebo's presence in attack, especially with the ban taking effect straight away at The Hawthorns and ruling him out of only this match, not the one before it. Burnley had their own absence to manage, but West Brom's problem was sharper because it came with the shadow of a goal that counted, then didn't. What happens next for them depends on whether the rest of that attacking rhythm survives the absence of the striker who had helped set it in motion.
