Wolves v Birmingham Review

Wolverhampton (4-4-2) Hennessey, Foley, Stearman, Mancienne, Ward, Kightly, Henry, Jones, Gray, Ebanks-Blake, Iwelumo.
Subs: Higgs, Collins, Edwards, Keogh, Vokes.

Birmingham (4-4-2) Maik Taylor, Hunt, Jaidi, Ridgewell, Queudrue, McFadden, Carsley, Quashie, Murphy, Phillips, Bent.
Subs: Doyle, Nafti, Agustien, Owusu-Abeyie, Jerome.

4 min Jaidi, under extreme pressure, does well to divert a right-wing cross from Kightly away from goal.

6 min McFadden has a goal disallowed for offside after he collected Hunt's diagonal pass and tucked it past Hennessey from eight yards. It was extremely tight, but it was also just about the right decision. Or maybe not: the more I see that the more I think he was onside. Bent, further along the line, was definitely offside, but he wasn't active.

13 min Ridgewell hits his own post. A long throw from the left from Ward bounced once and kicked up around the six-yard line and Ridgewell, under pressure from Ebanks-Blake, headed it off the near post. He didn't really know anything that: it zipped onto his head like a good-length delivery in cricket that hits a crack and takes off. "Ridgewell man... mmmm... loves to score own-goals...Subway food...you gonna open that Tizer?" mumbles Tom Lutz between mouthfuls of lunch.

17 min At the other end, Stearman clears off the line to deny Birmingham. Marcus Bent, possibly offside, ran onto a long diagonal pass from the right and got clear on goal. The keeper Hennessey came to the edge of the box to meet him, so Bent just lobbed it over him, but Stearman had kept running past his keeper and was able to clear it off the line.

Half time: Wolves 0-0 Birmingham A decent half ends goalless. Birmingham were the better side but Wolves did hit the post, albeit through Birmingham defender Liam Ridgewell. They will feel they can only play better in the second half, and that will be a concern for Birmingham.

47 min A free-kick is launched into the Wolves box and, after a bit of pinball, Jaidi welts it into orbit from the edge of the box. Boom!

GOAL! Wolves 0-1 Birmingham (Jerome 48) The substitute Cameron Jerome scores within three minutes of coming on. It came from a mistake by Richard Stearman, who tried to head a long punt forward back to his keeper but who left it horribly short. Jerome took it on, raced to the edge of the box and, with Mancienne up his backside and Stearman sliding in front of him, struck a shot that hit the leg of Stearman, from where it ricocheted into the ground and then up and over the diving Hennessey. There was fortune in the finish, but Birmingham fully deserve to be ahead.

56 min Wolves make their first substitution: Michael Gray off, Andy Keogh on. He goes to the right wing with, I presume, Kightly switching left.

57 min Wolves are all over Birmingham like a cheap one at the moment. Stearman beats two men and drills one in from 20 yards. Taylor makes a rudimentary save.

63 min Another Wolves sub: Sam Vokes replaces Iwelumo.

71 min Wolves are about to make their final substitution: David Jones off, David Edwards on.

GOAL! Wolves 1-1 Birmingham (Ebanks-Blake 74) Wolves equalise. The left-back Ward plays a really good one-two with Kightly, beats Jaidi with unfathomable ease and then pulls it back to the near post for Ebanks-Blake to sidefoot coolly into the far corner from eight yards. From Wolves' point of view it's a clean, slick goal, but Jaidi really should have taken man, ball and everything else when Ward ran onto Kightly's return pass.

Full time: Wolves 1-1 Birmingham A fair result. Birmingham were much the better in the first half, deservedly taking the lead in the 48th minute through their menacing substitute Cameron Jerome, but Wolves were aided by some aggressive, proactive substitutions, and built up enough of a head of steam to deserve the excellent Sylvain Ebanks-Blake's equaliser. So they stay six points clear of Birmingham.