Under 23s Marc Leonard, 19, and Antef Tsoungui, 18, both made their first competitive starts for Albion, while teenagers Andrew Moran and Odel Offiah made their debuts from the bench midway through the second half. 16-year-old Evan Ferguson also made his first outing as an 81st minute replacement for Enock Mwepu.

“It was a very special,” said Steele. “First and foremost, I was honoured to be captain tonight and when the manager told me it was a massive honour for me.

“To lead the lads tonight, and how they performed was so good, and there has to be a lot of proud families and people in the club of some of the young boys who played tonight.”

What impressed Steele the most was the skill and courage the younger players displayed against an experienced and physical Cardiff team who are unbeaten in the Championship so far this season.

“It shows the structure we have in terms of how the manager wants us to play. It’s so clear that the lads who come in know their jobs and what they have to do.

“They were so brave in how they played, and there were times when it was impossible to build from the back and find the spare man, but they showed so much character to deal with it.

“We fought like dogs, and we made some great chances, and on another night, we could have scored more.”

We’ve gathered the best of today’s Premier League speculation below…