Steve Cooper facing the first questions of his Swansea City tenure as West Brom hammering and transfer admission raise concerns

Tom Coleman looks at the key talking points from Swansea City's crushing defeat at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday

Swansea City saw their unbeaten away record come to an emphatic end at the hands of West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.

Goals from Semi Ajayi, Matheus Pereira, Hal Robson-Kanu, Matt Phillips and substitute Kyle Edwards condemned the Swans to a gut-wrenching defeat at The Hawthorns, although Sam Surridge did manage to muster up a goal in response.

Football writer Tom Coleman takes a look at the key talking points from Sunday's game...

Swansea are currently a million miles away from the top

It wasn't all that long ago that some were whispering the p-word in light of Swansea's superb start to the Championship season under Steve Cooper.

Cooper himself always played it down, but even he probably didn't foresee such a significant drop off since August.

Midfielder George Byers said before the trip to the Midlands that this was a "good test of our credentials", a chance to measure up against a team many believe is now destined for the Premier League.

The Swans may well only be two points adrift of the play-offs, but on Sunday's evidence they're a millions miles away from competing with the best in this division, with Cooper hinting as much in his post-match press conference .

"They [West Brom] have a good squad," he said.

"Obviously it's one that's been in the Premier League and a lot of investment has gone into the team. It's serving them well at the moment."

Indeed, the Swans could only dream of players of the calibre of Pereira and Grady Diangana, who both caused no end of problems for the Swans all afternoon, and arguably embodied the gulf in class between the two teams.

As Cooper himself pointed out, no-one can deny the effort and the commitment of this group of players, but the last few weeks have shown that there is a lack of quality and maturity from his side at times.

Cooper is now facing his biggest test

A flying start to the season, and a much welcomed derby win over bitter rivals Cardiff City saw Cooper come in for plenty of well-deserved adulation earlier in the season, but the truth is there's been growing murmurs of discontent from the terraces for a little while now.

Nothing sparks a knee-jerk reaction from fans like a heavy defeat, and a quick scan of social media suggests that the faith in Cooper is already being tested in some corners of the Swans' fanbase.

Typically, the more hysterical corners of social media are already sharpening the knives, but anyone calling for the manager's head at this point should probably give their head a wobble.

Overall, Cooper has done an outstanding job with the squad available to him. The fact some are clearly so disappointed to see promotion hopes taking such a bruising recently is a testament to the job he's done in this campaign.

Nevertheless, he'd be the first to admit that their recent run of just three wins in 15 games simply isn't good enough, and supporters are right to have some concerns about how things are going.

The decision to leave Bersant Celina, arguably Swansea's most technically gifted player, out of the matchday squad, will likely amplify any grumbles from Sunday, and weathering the criticism and questions will be key if the Swans are to turn things round.

It's a reality that isn't lost on the manager, who said after the game: “We need to handle the criticism we will get from this game, because it will come, and make sure we get over it for Wednesday.”

This is probably the first time since taking over that Cooper will be feeling a little bit of pressure, and he will need to respond over the coming weeks, starting with Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday.

Can it really get better?

If Cooper is to turn things round, it's unlikely it'll be through any new recruits, with the Swans boss once again playing down the club's chances of doing any business in January, which will no doubt go down like a lead balloon with fans.

The club are believed to be interested in exploring the loan market, and have already expressed an interest in Liverpool's Rhian Brewster, but there appears to be little evidence of Cooper receiving any kind of meaningful backing.

It's obvious to everyone that this team is in desperate need of new faces, but Cooper is clearly not banking on any new arrivals when the window re-opens.

"We aren't going to be spending money," he explained.

"We know that. It's been said before and the chairman has said it in a fans' forum, so it's highly unlikely we'll be doing any business.

"But that's fine. Obviously you'd love to have the luxury of being able to spend money and bring players in but I'm a really big believer in working with the players I have and getting the best out of them and that will only be my focus."

Swans fans are going to need to see real signs of progress soon, because should the standard of performances continue against the backdrop of a quiet January, the resentment towards the club's American owners and their perceived lack of investment, which in fairness has still been bubbling beneath the surface all season, could once again break out into all out revolt once more.

That sort of atmosphere is only likely to make Cooper's job harder.

The West Brom star that could yet put a smile on the faces of Swans fans

It's perhaps a small crumb of comfort, but Hal Robson-Kanu's strike just before half-time was his sixth goal in nine games.

No other Welsh striker is in that sort of form right now and, the chances of an international recall are surely growing as each week passes.

He inflicted misery on Welsh fans today, but the man responsible for arguably the most iconic goal in Welsh football may well have them smiling again soon heading into Euro 2020.