Birmingham beat Coventry 3 – 2
Birmingham beat Coventry 3-2 to make it in to the fifth round of the FA Cup. After making it to the final of the Carling Cup, the Blues continue their excellent cup run this season.
The boys from Birmingham made some defensive errors during the initial minutes of the game and Coventry were quick to pounce. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Marlon-c24261 King got the first goal and Richard Wood headed the ball in from a corner to give Coventry a 2-0 lead. Birmingham didn’t
take long to respond and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Stuart-Parnaby-c34263 drove it home and leveled the proceedings to make it 2-2. Later
veteran Kevin Philips smashed in the winner for the Blues to complete a remarkable comeback win.
The win rounded off a fabulous week for Birmingham. It was not just another win but proof that Birmingham has the ability to comeback when they have to. Earlier in the week they were down by two goals on aggregate against West Ham but managed to win the
two legged tie 4-3 in the Carling Cup Semi Final.
Despite their success in cup competitions, Birmingham continues to struggle in the league. Alex McLeish the manager of Birmingham has made it clear that he is determined to go all the way in FA Cup. He said that playing in the final against Arsenal in Carling
Cup is a dream, but that does not change the fact that going further in FA Cup is not a priority. Birmingham boss said that he is confident that his team would be able to survive in the Premier League, and if they can come up with an upset in either of the
two cup competitions it would be a memorable season.
The dream finish to the game had looked unlikely half way through the match for Birmingham. Woods’ leaped high to head in the second goal for Coventry and King had earlier given the away team an unlikely first goal.
Coventry with a two goal lead still looked apprehensive and they were certainly shaken when David Bentley smashed in a goal from 25 yards. This was the first goal for the Bentley player who is on loan till the end of the season.
In the second half, Birmingham displayed better football and there was proper planning and strategy to their game play. Hleb had done well to draw the keeper towards him inside the box, before laying it off to Parnaby to slot it into an empty net.
The momentum by then had firmly shifted towards Birmingham and the home side continued to pile on the pressure.
Kevin Philips was played superbly for Birmingham. The veteran has been in the league for a while now and put on an impressive display. The 37-year-old showed that he can still find the net when he scored the winner minutes from the close of the game.
Kevin Philips had a powerful header saved by Keiren Westwood in the initial stages of the game. He was not to be denied again when he smashed in a volley from Jean Beausejour's corner. It was a well deserved win for Birmingham and heartbreak for Coventry.
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