Mitoma: We showed we learnt our lessons

Main Club Sponsor

TICKETS

SHOP

Winger was involved in his first goal of the Premier League season in the victory against City.

Charlie Hanson

2025-09-05T06:00+01:00

Kaoru Mitoma setup Brajan Gruda for the winner against Pep Guardiola's team. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Kaoru Mitoma believes Albion showed they had learned from their opening two league games when they secured a terrific 2-1 win over Manchester City.

Having drawn with Fulham before losing 2-0 to Everton they came from a goal down to win 2-1 at the Amex.

“Going into the international break without a win would have been tough, but with this victory the players can head into the break with a positive mindset," Mitoma said.

Kaoru Mitoma celebrates with James Milner after the midfielder scored from the penalty spot against City. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

“As a team, I think it was important that we found something that works and can move forward with it.

“We also changed our style of play, taking lessons from the previous matches into account. And, based on last season’s experience, we didn’t collapse even after conceding a goal.”

Fabian Hurzeler’s team were 1-0 down when he introduced four substitutes, including Brajan Gruda, whose winner was created by our Japanese winger.

Kaoru Mitoma has played 111 games for Albion. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Those substitutes, alongside discipline, were key to the win, according to Kaoru.

“It was a tough match because the opponent had a lot of possession. The challenge was how much energy we could save for our attacks. When their intensity dropped, we were able to play at our own pace so I think the way we handled the first half paid off.

“Our intensity was low, and we lost the ball too easily in the previous games. It happened a bit against City, and against teams that can keep the ball we really need to improve in that area.

“I thought we still had chances. If we scored one, [we knew] the supporters would push us forward. The main thing was simply not to concede again.”