Source: Telegraph
Hull City 0 Birmingham City 1: match report
It is not often that Birmingham City are lauded for their fluid football but they earned those plaudits with an impressive display at the KC Stadium yesterday that swiftly erased the misery of their second city derby defeat to Aston Villa.
Six days after that crushing loss on their home ground, Birmingham responded in fine style with a merited victory earned by Garry O’Connor’s 75th-minute header that sent Hull City into the relegation places.
The nature of the win was all the more pleasing considering Birmingham’s extended injury list which forced their manager Alex McLeish to promote two young professionals to an already depleted bench reduced to six substitutes, including O’Connor, who travelled in isolation from the rest of the squad after rising from his sick bed on Friday to train.
A listless first half, devoid of guile, changed dramatically after the interval, mostly inspired by Christian Benítez.
The on-loan Ecuador international, nicknamed Chucho because of his terrier-like tenacity, could be the club’s record signing at £7.7 million and certainly he demonstrated his value, having left the field to have four stitches in a head wound after an aerial challenge before returning bandaged and bursting to impress.
"I think the knock did it," laughed McLeish. "He was finding his feet in the first half but it shows that he is made of tough stuff."
His most memorable effort was a 50-yard run dash that included a nutmeg on full back Paul McShane before Boaz Myhill denied him with a fine diving save, one of several crucial stops the Hull goalkeeper was required to make.
From the corner, however, Keith Fahey floated over a centre that O’Connor, climbing first at the near post, despatched with aplomb.
Hull staged a stirring finale that saw Geovanni profligate from inside the six-yard box, and then Hull captain Ibrahima Sonko’s header rebounded off the crossbar with Joe Hart beaten.
A desperate goalmouth mêlée finally ended with the Birmingham goalkeeper in the net - but not the ball as Birmingham held on.
