Barnsley 1-1 Birmingham City: Lukas Jutkiewicz cancels out Callum Styles' early goal

Callum Styles scores for BarnsleyImage source, PA Media
Image caption,

Callum Styles opened the scoring for Barnsley with his first goal of the season

Barnsley and Birmingham City had to settle for a point apiece with neither side able to find the winner after two first-half goals at Oakwell.

Callum Styles gave the hosts a rapid early lead, finding the net after just six minutes with a storming strike from 25 yards out.

But just after the half-hour mark Lukas Jutkiewicz equalised for Birmingham with a shot from close range.

The visitors created multiple chances to pile the pressure on Barnsley in the final 20 minutes, with substitute Chuks Aneke hitting the post late on and sending the rebound over, but it was not enough for the Blues to break the deadlock.

There was little to separate the two sides in the first 45 minutes although the hosts started brighter, with Styles and Clarke Oduor combining quickly for the first goal.

Styles, who last scored for the Tykes in February, had the chance to double their lead after 28 minutes when he was set up again by Oduor on the break, but the 21-year-old could not quite get his shot away and it was easily saved by Matija Sarkic.

Yet there were signs an equaliser was coming when Jutkiewicz sent a shot narrowly over the bar. Then when the towering striker got in between two defenders not long after, as the ball came overhead, he calmly controlled it before shooting into the goal from close range to bring the Blues level.

Lee Bowyer's team, searching for back-to-back victories on the road, turned up the heat in the final 25 minutes and created enough chances to have found a winner.

Tahith Chong and Scott Hogan both sent shots wide, before Bradley Collins produced a match-winning save in a one-on-one to deny Hogan again.

Barnsley then had the post to thank as Aneke was denied with nine minutes to go, leaving both teams resigned to taking a point each.

Barnsley head coach Markus Schopp told BBC Radio Sheffield:

"I guess at the end it was a good game. We struggled a bit with set-pieces but we knew with [Kristian] Pedersen they had a guy who can hurt every team with his throw-ins. It's all about keeping our way, how we want to play, and don't adapt to the style of how the other team wants to play.

"We had really good answers in the first half but in the second half we struggled and so at the end I'm glad to have one point more. But we have so many things where we can improve and that's the most important thing.

"It's all about being brave in possession to find solutions, and we find the solutions. To be honest [Styles] finished in an awesome way and I'm happy and glad for him that he scored. It's all about bringing him in these positions and I think it was a really good opener for us, but again it's all about the opposite team, what response they have.

Birmingham City boss Lee Bowyer told BBC Radio WM:

"Disappointed to be coming away with a point, and it's a credit to the players, the chances we created, we should be leaving with three.

"Two teams, high energy, both sets of players want to win. And we come away from home, stood up to that test, against a good Barnsley side, and man for man I thought we were better.

"If you go behind I think we have a different belief now that we have players that can create chances from the drop of the hat. Whether that's from open play, set-pieces we're very strong as well, so I always say if we can keep a clean sheet we will win a lot of games because I believe we'll score in most games.

"Scotty [Hogan] last week scored two, this week could have scored another two easily. But he's a human being, he's not done it on purpose. Again I'll come back to what I said before he scored the two last week, as long as he's putting himself in the right position to score then that's all I ask for, because he will score goals."

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