Amid all the shocks and engrossing games at the World Cup, laced with stunning strikes, high-level skill and devastating counter-punching, one rather more mundane method of goalscoring has been maintained in Russia.

Set pieces and, in particular, corners.

They have been a profitable route for England and Colombia, who met each other in the last 16 on Monday evening, and many others.

Goals straight from free-kicks are often eye-catching, shots bent around, over or even stroked under the defensive wall.

Goals from corners can also, in their own way, be beautiful, especially when they are the result of hours of work on the training ground.

A block here, a yard gained there and, before you know it, the net is bulging.

That Albion were so bad at preventing them in their debut season in the Premier League - with a manager in Chris Hughton (below) who was a defender himself and whose teams are renowned for their organisational qualities - emphasises just how difficult they are to stop when executed precisely.

The Argus: The overall goals against record was good, 54 in 38 games. Only Newcastle outside the top seven were tighter and seven of those came in the last two games at Manchester City and Liverpool, with safety already secured.

Figures from the Premier League tell a different story in relation to set pieces.

Albion conceded 22 goals, five more than the next-worst tallies of Leicester and Watford.

The overwhelming majority, 16, were from corners, four more than the next-worst team in that category Crystal Palace.

Hughton's preference, like most Premier League managers, is man-to-man rather man zonal marking, making players individually responsible.

The hard bit is that, compared to the Championship, the delivery, movement inside the box from attackers and blocking techniques are all better or cuter.

The Argus: Albion struggled to cope, even with two of the most effective central defenders in the division in Lewis Dunk (above) and Shane Duffy.

Reaction and concentration are also important elements. Ten of the 22 goals leaked from set plays came after the Seagulls had dealt with the initial deliveries.

Albion were bottom of the table not just in their own penalty area but in the opposition box as well.

Only five of their goals came from corners or free-kicks, one fewer than Huddersfield and Everton.

This is surprising for two reasons. In Pascal Gross they had the league's most prolific provider of chances from set pieces.

Forty-six accurate corners and 36 chances created put the German ahead of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Cesc Fabregas.

Duffy, third in the table of aerial duels won, and Dunk are big threats.

Duffy and Dutch midfielder Davy Propper (below) had Albion's most efforts on goal from set plays, but six apiece was a modest number considering Gross's supplying stats.

The Argus: Hughton is meticulous in his preparation and the way he sets up the side. Nobody will be more frustrated by the set piece numbers which undermined an otherwise impressive campaign.

They are harder for even the best defences (like Uruguay's) to stop than to score from. The goal the South Americans conceded in their victory over Portugal in the last 16 in Russia was a header from a corner.

The greater room for improvement is to be more clinical inside the opposition's box, both at set pieces and in general play.

Huddersfield and two of the relegated clubs, Swansea and West Brom, were the only ones to score fewer than Albion's total of 34 goals.

Achieve that and, second time around, safety could be more comfortable than with two matches to spare.

Premier League 2017-18

Most set piece goals conceded

Albion: 22

Leicester: 17

Watford: 17

West Ham: 16

Crystal Palace: 15

Fewest set piece goals scored

Albion: 5

Everton: 6

Huddersfield: 6

Burnley: 9