'Not at the races', 'costly error' - Birmingham City player ratings vs Leicester as one dealt 4/10
How the Birmingham City players rated in the 2-0 Championship defeat away at Leicester.
Birmingham City suffered their first Championship defeat of the season as Leicester City ran out narrow 2-0 victors at the King Power Stadium on Friday night, courtesy of Abdul Fatawu’s stunning first-half strike and Ricardo Pereira’s late second.
Fatawu took just eight minutes to score the opener, thumping into the top left-hand corner to give Blues a mountain to climb after a mix-up between Paik Seung-ho and Ethan Laird. Albeit a fantastic finish, it was a really poor goal for Birmingham to concede.
Paik failed to make what should’ve been an easy interception from an Oliver Skipp throw-in and Laird got his positioning all wrong, affording 17-year-old Louis Page acres of space to pick out Fatawu on the right. Laird and Paik then made it too easy for the goalscorer to cut onto his favoured left foot.
Birmingham had the lion’s share of possession after the goal but did very little with it, often giving the ball away needlessly in central areas and struggling to make things stick in attack. Demarai Gray was struggling after taking knocks to his left leg and collarbone, while Lewis Koumas and Willum Willumsson were unable to combine to serve Kyogo Furuhashi up top.
There was an improvement after the break as Blues moved the ball quicker and progressed into the final third more often, but it took a long while to create any proper clear-cut opportunities. Laird saw a close-range effort saved by Jakub Stolarczyk after Gray’s deflected free-kick, before Christoph Klarer rose highest from a Gray corner but headed over the bar.
It felt like too little too late from Birmingham in an attacking sense and Leicester then inflicted the sucker punch, Pereira scoring in the 88th minute to make it 2-0. Jeremy Monga, just 16 years of age, gave Osayi-Samuel the run-around before crossing into the danger area, where Pereira sprinted in late to convert into the bottom left corner.
At that point, the game was done and even 10 minutes of stoppage time couldn’t save the visitors. It’s back to the drawing board for Davies and his men, with a fortnight to wait for the trip to Stoke City after the international break.
Player ratings
It may seem harsh to hand out a 4/10 against a team likely to be right up there come the end of the season - away from home, no less - but costly and unnecessary mistakes cost Blues at the King Power. Here’s a full run-through.
Ryan Allsop - Couldn’t do anything about Fatawu’s terrific strike and Pereira’s late goal was at close range. Dealt with Leicester’s pressing forwards well as he was calm in possession. 6
Bright Osayi-Samuel - Managed the odd charge down the right but wasn’t able to trouble with enough crosses. Kept Mavididi quiet for the most part but was beaten twice by Monga ahead of Pereira’s goal. 5
Christoph Klarer - Made a mistake at the start of the second half as he let a through ball run, nearly gifting Ayew a goal. Got back to make the necessary tackle, at least. Otherwise defended well and was brilliant in the air as per usual. Booked for tugging down Daka off the ball. 6
Phil Neumann (off 85’) - Well below par with his passing out from the back as he so often struggled to find his intended target. Made plenty of clearances, though, helping relieve plenty of pressure. 6
Ethan Laird - Stepped off and got his feet all wrong for Fatawu’s goal, a costly error. Made one big sliding tackle near the end but didn’t do enough in the key moments. Saw a shot saved at the near post; probably Blues’ best chance. 5
Tomoki Iwata - Played a couple of great through balls, including one through the eye of the needle to Osayi-Samuel in the first half. Didn’t find those final passes often enough, though. 6
Paik Seung-ho - Should’ve done better ahead of Fatawu’s goal as he failed to intercept Skipp’s soft pass. Not at his usual best in possession. 5
Demarai Gray - Sloppy to begin with as he made some poor decisions in the final third, including playing to Willumsson on a counter when he could’ve put Kyogo clean through. Worked hard to work half spaces, though, and put on a brave face despite suffering what looked like a shoulder injury. Struck the wall from a 20-yard free-kick. 6
Willum Willumsson (off 66’) - Not at the races at all. Had so many loose touches, was weak in duels and was often outmuscled by Thomas, who must be four or five inches shorter. Hooked just after the hour. 4
Lewis Koumas (off 77’) - Lively in the number 10 role but lost possession more often than hoped. A little lightweight in challenges but worked hard to press. Looked knackered in the second half and perhaps should’ve been taken off earlier than he was. 6
Kyogo Furuhashi (off 77’) - Hardly involved in the first period but went close with a delicate volley after a corner in the second half. Took a whack from Pereira to win a free-kick just outside the box. Booked for a late slide on Okoli. 6
Subs: Anderson (on 66’), Doyle, Ducksch (on 77’), Dykes (on 85’). N/A