Ameobi: Made no mistake from the penalty spot after Ridgewell’s red card
Birmingham’s relegation nerves remain after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle at St James’ Park, where Liam Ridgewell was shown a straight red card in the first half.
Man of the Match: Ben Foster did not deserve to be on the losing team. Not for the first time this season, the England international came to Birmingham’s rescue on several occasions. Goal of the Match: Shola Ameobi may have his critics, but he is clinical from the penalty spot and his conversion could not even be stopped by the excellent Foster. Save of the Match: Take your pick from a string of stunning saves from Foster. However, the best was probably the deflection onto the crossbar, which was unfortunate to be involved in the build-up to the penalty. Talking Point: Liam Ridgewell’s red card was the turning point. It was the correct decision from referee Chris Foy and left Birmingham with a feeling of what might have been.
Alex McLeish’s Carling Cup winners are just four points clear of the Premier League’s bottom three with just two matches remaining following the loss on Tyneside on Saturday afternoon.
Shola Ameobi put Newcastle into the lead from the penalty spot in the 36th minute after Ridgewell had been sent off for handball.
The penalty incident sparked a remarkable finish to the first half, as Steven Taylor, who started as a replacement for the injured Mike Williamson, then made it 2-0 in the 43rd minute.
Ten-man Birmingham were even able to grab a lifeline before half-time through Lee Bowyer, but there was to be no dramatic comeback in the second half as Newcastle moved onto 44 points and into the top half.
More to follow…
Continued here:
Nervy finish for Birmingham