Four for Gomez as Albion hit six again

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Paraguayan midfielder's four-midable display as Albion beat Barnsley 6-0 in the Carabao Cup.

Bruce Talbot

2025-09-23T21:40+01:00

Diego Gomez celebrates his hat-trick on an unforgettable night for the Albion midfielder. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

Diego Gomez enjoyed the best night of his Albion career so far with four goals as Albion cruised into the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.

The Paraguayan midfielder scored a sensational hat-trick in 19 first-half minutes, the third a goal of the season contender when he volleyed into the top corner from 35 yards.

The other two weren’t bad either. He opened the scoring with a powerful close-range finish before hammering another right-foot shot into the top corner. The fourth midway through the second half was another emphatic finish across Murphy Cooper, who didn’t have a chance with any of them.

Diego Gomez scores the second goal of his first-half hat-trick at Barnsley. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

The Barnsley keeper was beaten again in the closing stages by goals from substitutes Harry Howell and Yasin Ayari as Albion hit six for the second time in this season’s competition. They will await Wednesday night’s last-16 draw with interest.

Fabian Hurzeler made eight changes to the team which drew with Spurs on Saturday, including full debuts for Stefanos Tzimas – scorer of two goals in the second-round win over Oxford United, and Tommy Watson. A strong bench included skipper Lewis Dunk and striker Georginio Rutter.

Tzimas nearly scored after five minutes. Gomez’s pass was perfectly weighted but a combination of Cooper and Mael de Gevigney denied the Greek teenager as he shot.

Diego Gomez celebrates his second goal on a memorable night for the Paraguayan at Oakwell. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

Albion didn’t have to wait long to open the scoring. Diego Coppola’s long-range volley ricocheted off a defender to Tommy Watson and his low cross from the left was slammed past Cooper from close range by Gomez, who had made a late run into the six-yard box.

Gomez, though, was only getting started. On 21 minutes Watson’s pass was fractionally behind Danny Welbeck, who had made a good run, but perfect for Gomez, cutting in from the right, to run onto and thunder a right-foot shot into the roof of the net.

Diego Gomez slams Albion's first goal past Barnsley keeper Murphy Cooper. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

It was some hit but there was even better to come 11 minutes later. Coppola’s long ball wasn’t cleared properly by the Barnsley defence and without breaking stride Gomez hit another powerful shot from 35 yards which curved away from Cooper and into the top right corner. Even the home fans behind the goal applauded the quality of the strike.

Stefanos Tzimas is denied by Murphy Cooper in the early stages. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

Jason Steele wasn’t troubled at all in the first half and there was little change after the break. Carlos Baleba was superbly denied by Cooper after a one-two with Tzimas, who then chipped the Barnsley keeper from the line but Jack Shepherd got back to head clear from under his own crossbar.

On a night of spectacular long-range goals, Davis Keilor-Dunn nearly got one back when he spotted Steele off his line just inside Albion territory, but the ball clipped the top of the crossbar.

Barnsley were denied by the woodwork again when Jonathan Bland’s volley took a deflection and came back off the left-hand upright but there was only one show in town and with 20 minutes to go Gomez got his fourth. Welbeck’s pass in the inside right channel was perfectly weighted for Gomez to run on and roll a low right-foot shot into the far corner.

Albion's players joined in the minute's applause before kick-off for Barnsley fan Dickie Bird, who died on Tuesday. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

There was still time for two more. Howell scored his first senior goal after Babis Kostoulas won the ball back and Albion broke. Watson picked out the 17-year-old on the edge of the area and he made no mistake, as his first-time effort found the bottom left corner.

Then in the final minute another substitute Ayari smashed a right-foot shot from the right-hand corner of the box. Once again, Cooper had no chance.

Hurzeler ran his bench in the second half and operated with a back three for the last 25 minutes after the introduction of Jan Paul van Hecke. The Dutchman made sure of the clean sheet on a very satisfying night for Albion and especially their smiling goal machine Gomez.

Albion: Steele, Veltman (van Hecke 66), Coppola, Boscagli, Kadioglu (Tasker 45), Milner, Gomez (Howell 73), Baleba (Ayari 53), Watson, Welbeck, Tzimas (Kostoulas 65).