Blues secure survival at Pride Park
Lukas Jutkiewicz’s two goals fired Birmingham City to safety on Saturday afternoon in a 1-2 victory.
The game opened up very poorly with neither side gathering any momentum.
Blues couldn’t find any passes to Juke or Leko and we were left void of any opportunities to take the lead. Derby also massively struggled for chances.
Rooney’s Rams did take the lead in the 36th minute. A defensive blunder from Dean and Pedersen allowed Kazim-Richards to slot home the games opener.
It was an incredibly dull first half, but Derby were the side that went into the break ahead.
Lee Bowyer changed the game with his substitutions early in the second half. Alen Halilovic, Ivan Sanchez and Mikel San Jose were all on within 10 minutes of the second period.
San Jose deserves extra credit for his performance in Blues’ turnaround. He has probably been the most slated Birmingham player this season, but he was superb today.
The equaliser came for Blues in the 62nd minute. A Marc Roberts long throw took a deflection in the box and Lukas Jutkiewicz headed home from about 3 yards out.
This goal clearly rocked Derby and Blues continued to apply pressure. It was a fantastic second half display.
More and more chances came for Blues and Derby didn’t know how to handle the aerial threat that we posed them.
Lukas Jutkiewicz held the ball up incredibly when it came to him and was probably the most important player in this success.
The Juke wasn’t finished with one goal though. Ivan Sanchez whipped a low ball into the back post, and you know what happens next. Lukas Jutkiewicz scored a fantastic header to give Blues all 3 points.
Lee Bowyer needs a lot of credit for making the changes that ultimately won us the match. We looked lost and wasteful before the substitions were made, and they completely transformed the team.
With safety now in the bag for Blues, there is no pressure heading into the final two matches. Whether Bowyer will treat these games any differently is yet to be seen, but this might be a opportunity for those to impress that haven’t had many minutes yet.
Match Facts:
Possession – Derby = 43%, Blues = 57%
Shots – Derby = 7, Blues = 7
Shots On Target – Derby = 2, Blues = 2
Goalscorers – Kazim-Richards 36′ (DER), Jutkiewicz 62′, 84′ (BIR)
Man of The Match – Lukas Jutkiewicz
Blues Position – 16th (+3)