BLUES EDGE TO ELLAND ROAD VICTORY

BLUES EDGE TO ELLAND ROAD VICTORY

Birmingham City claim 2-1 win in our first home fixture of the season...

UNITED 1 (Sacko 27), BIRMINGHAM 2 (Maghoma 15, Morrison 55)

United team: Green, Ayling, Bamba, Bartley, Taylor, Vieira, Mowatt (Phillips 73), Hernandez (Dallas 86), Sacko, Antonsson, Wood (Roofe 60). Subs: Turnbull, Coyle, Cooper, Grimes.

Birmingham team: Kuszczak, Spector, Morrison, Shotton, Grounds, Kieftenbeld, Cotterill, Gleeson (Robinson 90+4), Davis (Tesche 66), Maghoma, Donaldson. Subs: Legzdins, Fabbrini, Adams, Stewart, Storer.

Referee: Paul Tierney

Booked: Hernandez (United), Kieftenbeld, Davis, Morrison, Grounds, Gleeson (Birmingham)

Att: 27,392 (960 Birmingham)

United’s first home game of the 2016/17 Sky Bet Championship season ended with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon.

The visitors had opened the scoring against the run of play after just 15 minutes at Elland Road, Jacques Maghoma racing though on goal following a swift counter-attack and poking the ball beyond the onrushing Rob Green from inside the area.

But United, who had dominated the early stages and hit the crossbar through Marcus Antonsson prior to falling behind, pulled level on 27 minutes courtesy of Hadi Sacko’s first goal for the club, with the on-loan Sporting Lisbon winger managing to squeeze the ball underneath Tomasz Kuszczak after being slotted into the area by the lively Alex Mowatt.

Birmingham were able to restore their advantage 10 minutes into the second half, however, as captain Michael Morrison hammered home what proved to be the winner after the ball had fallen kindly for him inside the United penalty box.

Full match report to follow...

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