Birmingham boss Chris Davies hailed two-goal Jay Stansfield after he helped the Blues come from behind to earn a 3-1 win over league leaders Wrexham.
The pre-match build-up was centred on the clubs’ celebrity investors, with seven-time Super Bowl winner and Birmingham minority owner Tom Brady and Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney in the stands at St Andrew’s.
Both teams were unbeaten coming into the fixture and that quality was on show from the off as Jack Marriott fired Wrexham in front with just three minutes on the clock.
Stansfield signed for Birmingham on a permanent basis in a big-money move over the summer but was clearly unaffected by his price tag as he scored in either half to give City the lead before Tomoki Iwata’s stunner sealed the points.
Tempers boiled over after a coming together between Paul Mullin and Alex Cochrane started a brawl, while Krystian Bielik was sent off late on but the win put Blues level on points with their opponents at the summit.
Davies said: “From Jay’s point of view, he scored a real striker’s finish on the first one, instinctive rebound and then the second goal you have to give credit to Cochrane but not an easy chance on that angle.
“It wasn’t just his goals, the pressing and work-rate, the intensity of the runs, the movement, there’s so much more to it than that, not just the goals but what he contributes to the team.
“I’ve said a few times that by making sure performances are there and playing well, we will get the outcome.
“The performance was excellent, it’s the best we’ve played for a largest period in a game this season.”
Brady, chairman of a new advisory board at Birmingham, was joined at St Andrew’s by former England duo David Beckham and Gary Neville.
Davies insists he did not pay attention to the pre-match hype ahead of kick-off and applauded his players for keeping their focus purely on the football.
He added: “We weren’t paying attention to that sort of stuff.
“It’s something I did address with the players that this is going on but that’s not our domain, ours is the pitch, what we do and the performance, external stuff is irrelevant to us.
“They will follow things on social media and will know the attention and hype around the game but I didn’t see any change at all from the concentration point of view.”
Wrexham were unable to keep a fifth consecutive clean sheet, suffering their first defeat of the season.
Boss Phil Parkinson said: “It’s a good learning curve, we’ve hardly conceded a goal this season and haven’t been behind in a game.
“At the start of the season if you said you’re going to be top of the league and after the first three away games you’re going to only lose once, we’d have all taken that.
“Five games unbeaten, during the season you will lose games of football, that’s inevitable – we’ll take the lessons into the next few games.
“We’re top of the league and have 40 games to go but any defeat is tough to take.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Amara Nallo Debut Bournemouth this season (LIV next) true 18 matches at once, it's just too much. Speed describing how Ronaldo smells like in his stream:"You could smell his aura. He smells like a GOAT." lol Juventus Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Just toon it, trollfootball, The Football Arena, AZR Organization)...
Manchester United have plenty of business to tie up before Monday’s transfer deadline, with Patrick Dorgu closing in on a move to Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford appears to be heading for the exit after facing the wrath of Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim, while Alejandro Garnacho could also be set to depart.Chelsea are in the mix for new signings and could rival Napoli for Garnacho. The Blues are...
Marcus Rashford could be at the center of a deadline-day transfer as Manchester United have made him available. Man Utd star Rashford could be set for a deadline day move as the window comes to a closeUnited are asking for £40M for Rashford but are also open to a loan deal, per The Sun. European clubs, including Barcelona, have shown interest, but his £325,000-a-week wages have been a si...
Chelsea’s pursuit of Alejandro Garnacho could be a last-minute scramble late into the winter window – but the club have a contingency plan in place should the Blues fail to secure a Manchester United winger before the transfer deadline, according to reports.The Argentine forward could still leave Old Trafford before February 3, when the window closes, with the club willing to sell him ...
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said he does not want Ollie Watkins to leave the club amid interest from Arsenal, but said if Jhon Durán completes his move to Al Nassr then it is "good news" for the club as it shows they are doing the right things in terms of developing players.Emery was speaking after Aston Villa secured their spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League following a 4-...
Chelsea are reportedly close to signing a new striker, Mathys Tel, who has decided to leave Bayern Munich this month. The Blues have been linked with the Frenchman, while Bayern Munich is interested in Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku. This potential deal might lead Chelsea to abandon their pursuit of Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho. Tel's decision to leave Bayern has put Chelsea on high alert ...
Manchester City are nearing a £58.7 million deal for Andrea Cambiaso this week.The Juventus full-back ruled himself out of their crucial Champions League match against Benfica. City had a £54.5 million offer rejected, with Juventus demanding £75.5 million, per The Mirror.A compromise is expected this week after Juve coach Thiago Motta revealed Cambiaso cited an ankle injury for his ...
Chelsea forward Deivid Washington is set to join Santos on loan until the end of the season. He will link up with Neymar, who is rejoining Santos from Al-Hilal. Washington, 19, joined Chelsea from Santos in 2023 but has made just three senior appearances. The loan move aims to provide him with more playing time and experience. Neymar's return to Santos is highly anticipated, as he started his care...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Are you ok ? Ange Attacker of the big EPL team Jackson , Rasford Wednesday in the Champions League: 18 games. All at once. The THREE Pillars of Real Madrid's UCL 3PEAT! CLASS ACT! Lionel Messi is FC BARCELONA! Incredible achievement. Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Just toon it, BleacherReportFootball, AZR Orga...
Manchester City planned to continue their January transfer window spending spree.Pep Guardiola has not been afraid to spend this month.Manchester City's pursuit of Juventus defender Andrea Cambiaso is reportedly losing momentum, despite initial interest in the player. The reigning champions had a £54.5million offer rejected, with Juventus holding out for a higher fee of £75.5million.Howe...
- 1 Kerkez and £83m ace join as Salah signs
- 2 Enzo 'trying to fix romance with childhood sweetheart'
- 3 'exciting' Betis on signing Man Utd flop
- 4 Kyle Walker’s wife in talks with ITV for HUGE reality show
- 5 Ashley Cole, wife Sharon, Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy on luxury skiing holiday
- 6 Meet Jude Bellingham's new model WAG
- 7 Atletico Madrid in talks for Arsenal Zinchenko
- 8 Napoli confirm Garnacho interest
- 9 LaLiga ace Alex Berenguer & model wife ‘have gun pointed at them’
- 10 Transfer news and rumours LIVE