Birmingham City produced a ruthless set-piece masterclass to sweep aside Portsmouth 4-0 at St Andrew's, as Paik Seung-ho, Tomoki Iwata, Christoph Klarer and substitute Keshi Anderson struck in what manager Chris Davies described as the Blues' most complete performance of the season.
A run of only two victories in their previous nine league games and a home drought stretching back to 20 September had put the brakes on Birmingham's bright start to the campaign, but this emphatic win lifted them into the top half in 11th place. Portsmouth, by contrast, slipped to 20th on 13 points and are now only four clear of the relegation zone after an afternoon when their set-piece frailties were repeatedly exposed.
In a game defined by dead balls, all four Birmingham goals stemmed from corners or free-kicks, underlining the emphasis Davies' side have placed on set-plays. They even overcame Jay Stansfield's fifth-minute penalty miss, with Josef Bursik producing one of several fine saves for the visitors, before overwhelming John Mousinho's team and prompting starkly contrasting post-match assessments from the two managers.
Penalty Miss Sparks Relentless Response