Birmingham City 2-2 Peterborough United: Winners & losers from Blues’ incredible late turnaround

Birmingham City scored two goals in the last five minutes to complete the most unlikely of comebacks against Peterborough United on Tuesday evening.

Substitute Gary Gardner fired in what looked like a mere consolation on 85 minutes before Scott Hogan levelled things up just 60 seconds later to send St Andrew’s into ecstasy.

Lukas Jutkiewicz should have won the game in stoppage time when he was left free in the 18 yard box but he couldn’t get any contact on Jordan Graham’s fizzing cross.

An incredible end to what was for the majority, a quite dismal game in the west midlands.

Winners

Jeremie Bela

Was brought on at half-time and although he was deployed initially as a left-back, the second he was moved to his natural position of left-midfield he was key to the comeback.

Everything positive was coming down Bela’s side on the left-wing and he provided the all important assist for Scott Hogan’s equaliser.

Scott Hogan

He scored the incredible unlikely equaliser but away from that he was one of the few players on the pitch that came away with credit.

For 85 minutes the whole team were awful and though he did nothing special, he was trying. He never stopped running when others looked like they had given up. Deserved his goal.

Losers

Ivan Sunjic

Was brought into the side to replace Gary Gardner following the 2-1 win over Barnsley and pre-match I was adamant it was the right decision.

16 minutes in and his mistake on half-way that led to Peterborough’s opening goal had me eating my words.

A real poor showing and not one that will push him up the depth chart, especially considering Gardner’s strike sparked the turnaround this evening.

Kristian Pedersen

One of the men that likely felt the wrath of Bowyer at half-time. He had a real poor half but in truth it could have been anyone in a Blue shirt being dragged off for their abject performance.

Jeremie Bela came on in his place to play on the left of a back four - a position that arguably suits him even less than the wing-back role.

Lukas Jutkiewicz

Missed a great chance to make it 1-1 and then a glorious one to win it in stoppage time.

The ball was whipped in again from the left-hand side, any touch towards goal and it’s 3-2 but the big striker completely missed it. Whether he saw the headlines before the ball, I don’t know. Only he can explain how he’s missed that one.

There’s no doubting he should have scored at least one today and whilst on the overall performance Blues didn’t deserve to win, he was inches away from being part of an historic night at St Andrew’s.

Birmingham City (4-2-2-2): Etheridge; Colin, Roberts, Mengi, Pedersen (45’ Bela); Woods, Sunjic (60’ Gardner); James (76’ Graham), Hernandez; Hogan, Jutkiewicz

Unused subs: Trueman (GK), Friend, Campbell, Bellingham

Peterborough United (3-4-1-2): Benda; Beevers, Thompson, Kent; Burrows, Norburn, Taylor, Mumba; Poku (86’ Szmodics); Marriott (60’ Morton), Clarke-Harris (86’ Knight)

Unused subs: Blackmore (GK), Grant, Tomlinson, Ward

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