Match report
Time for me to say ta-ra. I’ll leave you with Ben Fisher’s report from St Andrews. Ta-ra then!
Leicester’s goalscorers speak to Sky …
Stephy Mavididi: “We knew it would be a difficult game, happy with the performance and the three points. We know we have the weapons we have, and we set up to use them. We have a lot of quick, direct attackers.”
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: “We pride ourselves on finishing counterattacks, at least by making a good chance. Stephy’s finish was fantastic. The gaffer is drilling that into us, we’re learning more and more.”
On goading the home fans, Dewsbury-Hall says: “Stephy rattled them after the first goal, so I thought I’d join in! All fun and games at the end of the day.”
Elsewhere tonight Girona, the La Liga side threatening to “do a Leicester” this season, have gone back to the top with a 3-0 home win over Alavés.
Artem Dovbyk heads Girona in front! 🔴⚪
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) December 18, 2023
The Montilivi side continue to look relentless 😤 pic.twitter.com/QKF7mh5dTS
The table as it stands.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicester | 22 | 28 | 55 |
| 2 | Ipswich | 22 | 19 | 52 |
| 3 | Leeds | 22 | 15 | 42 |
| 4 | Southampton | 22 | 8 | 42 |
| 5 | West Brom | 22 | 12 | 36 |
| 6 | Hull | 22 | 7 | 36 |
| 7 | Sunderland | 22 | 8 | 33 |
| 8 | Preston North End | 22 | -10 | 32 |
| 9 | Watford | 22 | 8 | 31 |
| 10 | Norwich | 22 | 0 | 31 |
| 11 | Blackburn | 22 | -4 | 31 |
| 12 | Cardiff | 22 | 1 | 30 |
| 13 | Middlesbrough | 22 | 0 | 30 |
| 14 | Bristol City | 22 | -1 | 29 |
| 15 | Coventry | 22 | 3 | 27 |
| 16 | Plymouth | 22 | -1 | 26 |
| 17 | Birmingham | 22 | -6 | 26 |
| 18 | Swansea | 22 | -1 | 25 |
| 19 | Stoke | 22 | -9 | 23 |
| 20 | Millwall | 22 | -7 | 22 |
| 21 | Huddersfield | 22 | -15 | 22 |
| 22 | QPR | 22 | -12 | 20 |
| 23 | Sheff Wed | 22 | -19 | 16 |
| 24 | Rotherham | 22 | -24 | 13 |
Full time: Birmingham 2-3 Leicester
The Foxes move three points clear of Ipswich, and 13 [THIRTEEN] points above third-placed Leeds, with a win that was more narrow than it needed to be. Birmingham scored twice through Jordan James and threatened to punish Leicester for missed chances late in the game – but the leaders held on.
95 mins: Faes intercepts Miyoshi’s through-pass, and the seconds are ticking down for Birmingham.
94 mins: Fatawu runs it into the corner, then changes his mind and crosses to nobody in particular. He gets it back, but Choudhury is then flagged offside.
92 mins: Oof, Casadei should have made it safe for Leicester here. He stepped away from his marker, but one-on-one with Ruddy, tried to sweep it into the corner and put his effort wide.
91 mins: Birmingham are taking the aerial route towards Jutkiewicz now, and he gets his head to a Roberts long ball but can only direct it back towards Hermansen.
90 mins: There will be five added minutes for Birmingham to grab an unlikely equaliser.
89 mins: Harry Souttar is on for Leicester, replacing Justin and adding height to the backline at set pieces. Wilfred Ndidi also goes off, replaced by Cesare Casadei.
88 mins: Roberts takes the long throw, and Hermansen has to rush off his line to punch clear. Sanderson and Donovan try to bustle into the area from the left, but Faes is on hand to clear, to high-fives all round.
87 mins: Birmingham free-kick wide on the left, which Myoshi heaves in, Roberts heads down, and Leicester scramble clear.
86 mins: Miyoshi tries to play in Jutkiewicz, but he can’t bring the ball under control. Donovan, in acres of space down the left, might have been a better option.
85 mins: Leicester get forward again, but Ndidi’s attempted cross ends up in the side netting. Rooney summons another Championship veteran from his bench, with Lukas Jutkiewicz replacing Emanuel Aiwu.
83 mins: At the other end, Fatawu reaches into his box of tricks to send two defenders sprawling before cutting back to Cannon, who fires his shot over the bar.
82 mins: More Birmingham pressure, more Leicester discomfort under the high ball, but they are reprieved when Dion Sanderson is flagged offside.
81 mins: Burke swings in a cross from the right, and Faes has to be alert to clear under pressure from Hogan.
80 mins: Fatawu takes a Leicester corner but bends it over everyone’s heads, and out of play. Rooney throws on striker Scott Hogan, who replaces Bacuna.
79 mins: With Leicester a little short at the back, Choudhury wins a foul for a nudge from Donovan, much to the home crowd’s frustration.
78 mins: Tom Cannon, an £8m summer recruit from Everton, replaces Patson Daka up front for Leicester.
76 mins: Dewsbury-Hall, now operating on the left flank, fails to pick out a teammate with his cross. On balance of play, it would be pretty ridiculous if Leicester somehow fail to win this game.
Well then! Miyoshi makes an impact with a run to the edge of the area and finds James, whose shot deflects off Vestergaard and into the far corner! That’s woken the crowd up, alright.
Updated
GOAL! Birmingham 2-3 Leicester (James 74')
Jordan James gets his second of the game, and from nowhere, Birmingham are back in it!
72 mins: Rooney decides to ring the changes. Off go Bielik, Dembele and Stansfield; on come Oliver Burke, Japan international Koji Miyoshi and teenage winger Romelle Donovan.
70 mins: Dewsbury-Hall crosses for Daka, who doesn’t get hold of his shot. Here comes Choudhury for Mavididi, who gets cheered by the away fans and booed by the home fans; I guess that’s when you know you’ve had a good game.
68 mins: Fatawu tries again to cut inside and find the far corner, but his shot is wild and flies into the away end.
67 mins: Hamza Choudhury is coming on; it looks like he’ll replace Mavididi, who has scored twice but is also on a booking.
65 mins: Ricardo finds Dewsbury-Hall in midfield, untroubled, with options left and right. He opts to switch play wide to Mavididi, who gets to the byline but runs out of space.
64 mins: Buchanan gets his own back with a trip on Fatawu, who was threatening to skip away downfield once again.
62 mins: Bacuna asks the crowd to turn up the volume as Birmingham try to find a way back into the game. Leicester are holding them comfortably at arm’s length at the minute, though.
60 mins: Lee Buchanan is caught on his knee by a high boot from Fatawu, but the referee doesn’t spot it – it surely would have been a booking if he had.
59 mins: The corner is arrowed in towards Marc Roberts, but Leicester get it clear. Rooney then livens up the home crowd with some textbook close control when the ball flies out of play.
58 mins: The ball in rebounds off Stansfield, and Fatawu is on hand to hoof it downfield. Birmingham come again, and Stansfield wins another corner with some tenacious work down by the touchline.
57 mins: Jay Stansfield, who hasn’t been involved much, gets in front of Dewsbury-Hall but can’t connect with his header. Birmingham get a corner …
56 mins: Dembele prods the ball beyond Justin, who brings him down and is perhaps lucky to avoid a booking. A rare chance for Birmingham to offer a threat from the free kick …
54 mins: Leicester’s key attacking move – Winks or Ndidi passing to Dewsbury-Hall, who moves it on to either winger – has worked time and time again. On this occasion, Mavididi is found in a central area and tries unsuccessfully to catch Ruddy out with a backheel.
52 mins: “Sacked in the morning” is the gleeful chant from the away fans. We’re not at that stage yet, but it’s looking like two wins from 11 for Wayne Rooney now.
Updated
51 mins: From yet another quick break, Fatawu almost makes it four, bending the ball just wide of the far post after another deep run from Dewsbury-Hall.
GOAL! Birmingham 1-3 Leicester (Mavididi 49')
Well, that didn’t work. As soon as the hosts step forward, Leicester exploit the space and Mavididi gets one-on-one with Aiwu again. He cuts inside and shoots, and the defender’s boot only serves to deflect the ball over Ruddy and in!
Updated
48 mins: Birmingham are definitely sitting a little deeper in this second half, rather than go too gung-ho with the game in the balance.
Peep!
We’re back for the second half, and Leicester are back on the attack – but Dewsbury-Hall is flagged narrowly offside.
Neil Warnock here, failing to be disciplined.
"Sorry I forgot to close it" 😅
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 18, 2023
"Anymore angry than that you'll frighten everybody" 🤣
Enjoy this blooper reel by Neil Warnock, but enjoy it by being disciplined 😂 pic.twitter.com/3026fY75gS
Half time: Birmingham 1-2 Leicester
The leaders have scored twice with devastating counterattacks, either side of Jordan James’ well-taken equaliser. Since they went back in front, Leicester have been dominant – but there’s still only a goal in it.
48 mins: Juninho Bacuna gets a rare pocket of space and shapes to shoot – but Wout Faes is in the way, and blocks his effort on goal.
47 mins: There’s still time for Leicester to race downfield twice but fail to get the final ball right …
46 mins: We have played one of three added minutes, and I think Birmingham want this half to be over.
45 mins: But KDH is on hand to quickly win the ball back and find Mavididi, who flicks the ball past Aiwu and then goes over after minimal contact. Having already been booked, he risked the silliest sending-off of the season there.
43 mins: Dewsbury-Hall sets up Daka, who opts to pass backwards instead of hold the ball up …
42 mins: Dembele goes in late on Justin, and Leicester get a free kick, from which they work upfield again …
41 mins: More trickery from Mavididi, sending Aiwu this way and that before slicing his shot wide.
40 mins: Again, Birmingham look short at the back –but Sanderson gets a vital touch to stop Fatawu playing Daka in on goal.
39 mins: Leicester now have a grip on this game – it feels like a Cup tie that’s close to slipping away from the underdogs. Dewsbury-Hall crosses for Daka, who might have done better with his first-time shot.
37 mins: Wout Faes with a lovely little defensive cameo, ball-juggling his way past three attackers before going down theatrically to get the free kick. That was David Luiz-esque (in a good way).
36 mins: Having been abandoned by his marker, Mavididi tries to volley a cross back into the danger area, but it doesn’t come off.
35 mins: Dembele tries to get in behind the Leicester defence, but he’s a good yard offside.
33 mins: Maresca is out of his seat, barking at his players after an attacking move breaks down. To me, he looks like an AI-created combination of Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola.
Updated
31 mins: Mavididi is causing plenty of problems for the home defence; he gets upended, but is quickly up and running into the box, his deflected cross bouncing to safety.
30 mins: If Birmingham want to get anything from this game, they’ll need to do what only Millwall have managed this season – score twice against Leicester. The visitors look the more likely to add to their lead right now, though.
29 mins: Leicester get numbers forward again, and Sanderson has to rescue his side with a well-timed challenge on Daka, who was twisting to try and get a shot on goal after being played in by Dewsbury-Hall.
27 mins: Leicester are looking more comfortable. “Jamie Vardy, he scores more than you,” is the chant coming from the away end.
25 mins: The hosts are trying to regroup, with Dembele looking for Aiwu down the right but mistiming his pass.
Here’s the second Leicester goal – clinical stuff.
What a FINISH by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall 😮💨🔥 pic.twitter.com/XcNggcQ2Qr
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 18, 2023
Bacuna is dispossessed on the edge of the Leicester area and they click into counterattacking mode, Daka dribbling forward and playing in Dewsbury-Hall, who rounds Ruddy and lifts the ball into the empty net. There’s more backchat with the home fans; Leicester are certainly fired up for this one.
GOAL! Birmingham 1-2 Leicester (Dewsbury-Hall 21')
Yikes, Birmingham are torn apart on the break again – and Leicester regain their lead through Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall!
Updated
19 mins: Or have they? Dewsbury-Hall is allowed to wriggle into the area and his cross slips through Ruddy’s fingers. Lee Buchanan is in the right place to hoof clear and spare his keeper’s blushes.
18 mins: After a slow start and then a frantic five minutes, things have settled down a touch again.
16 mins: Leicester make pretty much their only foray forward apart from the goal, but Mavididi’s low cross can’t find a teammate.
Some nice setup play between Sunjic and Dembele, who picks out James in space centrally. He takes a touch and rolls the ball into the far corner. Game on!
Updated
GOAL! Birmingham 1-1 Leicester (James 14')
No sooner has the dust settled, than Birmingham are level through Jordan James!
Updated
To add insult to injury, Mavididi climbed over the hoarding to gently goad the home fans, who react as you might expect. Harry Winks offers a hand in apology, although I do wish some fans could take it as well as they give it out. Mavididi is booked for his celebration.
Updated
Let’s try and summarise that ridiculous passage of play, as best as I can. The corner in caused havoc, with James Justin sending a wild attempted clearance crashing off his own post. From the rebound, Leicester broke at speed with Fatawu playing in Stephy Mavididi, who raced in behind and chipped the ball over John Ruddy. Wild!
Updated
GOAL! Birmingham 0-1 Leicester (Mavididi 10')
And from the Birmingham corner … Leicester score!
8 mins: Oof! From Roberts’ long throw, Bielik gets a sneaky back-header on goal, which Hermansen tips over acrobatically!
7 mins: Bacuna’s cross is headed back across goal and Dembele gets a low shot on target which Hermansen saves well with his feet. Uncertainty in the Leicester defence, but they clear it for a throw-in …
6 mins: Siriki Dembele, a summer signing from Bournemouth, charges upfield and is brought down by James Justin. Free kick, and a chance for Bacuna to whip the ball in …
5 mins: Ndidi looks to carry the ball forward from midfield, but Marc Roberts intercepts and then wins a throw-in.
4 mins: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is penalised for a push as he tried to press the home defence.
2 mins: A first chant of “Rooney! Rooney!” echoes around the ground, before Jordan James’ deflected shot skids through to Hermansen in the Leicester goal.
1 min: Birmingham kick off but Leicester launch the first attack, Daka’s shot from a tight angle charged down. The visitors are in their away kit, a sort of gold-caramel colour I’m going to call “Caramac”.
Peep!
We’re under way after fireworks and plenty of pumping tunes over the PA at St Andrews.
Here’s Wayne Rooney on his unchanged line-up: “I’m giving them the opportunity to do it again, a good performance and hopefully a good result. Leicester move the ball well, they’ve got some really good individuals. We know it’s going to be a difficult game.”
And the Leicester manager, Enzo Maresca: “When you play every three days, we try to change three or four players to maintain the same level, same energy, but tonight, just one change. Jamie [Vardy] is close [to fitness], but still some days.”
Jamie Vardy may not be here – the forward is out with an injury and has not travelled – but for those here for a bit of Wag drama, how about, er, Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner? He might be in for an awkward night if Wayne Rooney’s side get a hiding from the league leaders.
The Chairman of the Board, Tom Wagner, is in the house. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/ULgBjwxc8U
— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) December 18, 2023
The Championship managerial merry-go-round keeps spinning. Michael Beale, the former QPR manager, has been appointed by Sunderland today. Alex Neil, who left the Black Cats for Stoke last term, was sacked last week – and reports suggest that Plymouth’s Steven Schumacher is the frontrunner to replace him, ahead of John Eustace.
The former Birmingham coach could actually end up replacing Schumacher at Home Park, while Tony Mowbray – recently sacked by Sunderland – is another name in the frame. Swansea, meanwhile, could look to Elfsborg manager Jimmy Thelin, who spoke to Sunderland and has also been linked with Stoke. Phew!
Here’s the Birmingham captain, Dion Sanderson: “The win [at Cardiff] was needed, we did the job there so we come into tonight’s game with confidence. [Playing Leicester] is the toughest test, but we want to play the best teams in the league.”
Troy Deeney asks how the players are adapting to Wayne Rooney: “I don’t think we did understand [his methods] at first, and the results didn’t come. Now we’re getting a better idea, playing good football but with that grittiness too.”
Deeney, who was Sanderson’s predecessor as captain, then ends what was an insightful interview with some nice patter about the “heavy armband”.
Just one change across the two starting line-ups, as Rooney sticks with the side that won at Cardiff. Enzo Maresca keeps Patson Daka as his central striker ahead of the returning Kelechi Iheanacho, while James Justin comes in at left-back. Wout Faes, who filled in there against Millwall, moves back to central defence with Conor Coady dropping to the bench.
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Team news
Birmingham (4-2-3-1): Ruddy; Aiwu, Marc Roberts, Sanderson, Buchanan; Sunjic, Bielik; Dembélé, James, Bacuna; Stansfield.
Subs: Etheridge, Hogan, Jutkiewicz, Miyoshi, Gardner, Longelo, Oakley, Burke, Donovan.
Leicester (4-3-3): Hermansen; Ricardo Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall; Fatawu, Daka, Mavididi.
Subs: Ward, Coady, Casadei, Iheanacho, Souttar, Choudhury, Cannon, Stolarczyk, Nelson.
Referee: David Webb (County Durham)
Updated
Preamble
After suffering one of the most avoidable relegations in recent history, Leicester City are loving life in the second tier. Since the league was rebadged as the Championship in 2004, no team has picked up more points in their first 20 games than the flying Foxes. Leicester’s 23-24 record so far comfortably eclipses their start in this division a decade ago, before Nigel Pearson’s side switched on the afterburners and racked up 102 points. That was the club’s most recent promotion, and we all know what happened after that, don’t we?
While Leicester were winning titles, going on Champions League runs and filling up at the pizza buffet, Birmingham City have been treading water. Currently the second division’s longest-serving team, the Blues have spent most of the last decade in the Championship’s lower reaches. That looked like it might change this season, with new investment and an improving team led by popular manager John Eustace. But then the club’s US owners hit the reset button and showed Eustace the door, bringing in Wayne Rooney as his high-profile replacement.
Ten games in, it’s not exactly going to plan – Birmingham have picked up six points, sliding from the playoffs back into that familiar murky pond above the relegation zone. Still, victory at Cardiff last time out has brightened the mood somewhat, and tonight’s prime-time game offers the chance to correct their trajectory, with games against Plymouth, Stoke and Bristol City coming up. OK, I think that’s everything. Wait … there’s that whole Rooney v Vardy, Wagatha Christie business too. Oh, the EFL Championship, you spoil us.
