Poor Defending Costs Birmingham

This Midlands derby did nothing whatsoever to enhance Birmingham City’s increasingly desperate fight for Premiership survival and manager Steve Bruce could be forgiven for thinking that the writing was on the wall from the moment Matthew Upson limped out of the warm up.

In the end, Villa’s 3-1 victory flattered the home side because Birmingham had plenty of possession and always looked dangerous from corners and free kicks and whenever strikers Emile Heskey and Chris Sutton were involved.

They lost because they didn’t take their chances and because two of the goals they conceded were the result of woeful defending. The game was barely ten minutes old when Milner’s poor cross was allowed to bounce through to Baros standing alone 6 yards in front of goal. And 13 minutes from time Angel, Milner and Baros combined unchallenged to create Villa’s third. In between, Sutton’s neat equaliser in the 24th minute had given Birmingham hope, until 10 minutes into the second half a wonderful flying volley from young Gary Cahill, his first goal for the club, had provided the most spectacular moment of the game and plunged Birmingham fans into despair once more.