Birmingham City 1-3 Cardiff City: Rubin Colwill earns Bluebirds place in Carabao Cup third round

Cardiff City's Rubin Colwill also scored in the Carabao Cup first round against Colchester United

Cardiff City are into the third round of the Carabao Cup after a 3-1 win away against Birmingham City.

Cardiff took the lead after just three minutes, Rubin Colwill finding the bottom corner with a first-time effort.

Home striker Lukas Jutkiewicz was sent off early in the second half before Ryan Wintle doubled Cardiff's lead.

Scott Hogan hit back for Birmingham but as they chased a late equaliser, Kion Etete tapped in a cross at the back post to seal victory for the Bluebirds.

Cardiff raced out of the blocks and took a deserved lead when Colwill found the bottom right corner with a composed first-time strike from Karlan Grant's low cross.

The Bluebirds should have doubled their lead when Grant found Etete in the middle of the 18-yard box, but the striker could not find his balance as he scuffed his effort high and wide.

Birmingham's best chance of the first half came from a Juninho Bacuna free-kick, but unlike in the first round against Cheltenham he could not find the back of the net as Bluebirds goalkeeper Runarsson made an excellent save.

Colwill and Etete linked up well just before the half-hour mark but once again the Cardiff striker could not turn an excellent cross goal-bound.

The hosts thought they had a penalty when George Hall and Ebou Adams collided just inside the area but referee Leigh Doughty was uninterested.

Etete was involved again when he led a Cardiff counter-attack, but his through ball to Grant was crucially intercepted by former Bluebird defender Dion Sanderson to deny a one-on-one opportunity.

Birmingham finished the first half on top with striker Jutkiewicz testing Runarsson from the edge of the area, before heading a curled delivery just wide of the left upright.

Just as the hosts were wrestling back momentum in the second half, Jutkiewicz dived in to challenge Cardiff defender Adams and referee Doughty produced a straight red card.

Cardiff were instantly on the front foot after the dismissal, and a lovely team move eventually sprung Grant down the left but Neil Etheridge did well to deny the summer signing.

Cardiff were not to be denied minutes later however, as a lovely back-heel from Colwill found Wintle on the edge of the area and his side-footed effort found the bottom corner of the net.

At that point it appeared to be plain sailing for the visitors but substitute Hogan halved the deficit within minutes of Wintle's strike, finishing low under Runarsson.

As Birmingham chased a late equaliser Cardiff broke through Colwill before youngster Keiron Evans sent a ball across the face of goal that was met by Etete, who found the roof of the net to seal the win.

Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut told BBC Sport Wales: "I am delighted, today we played without centre-backs.

"We used midfielders to create a back three and I am really satisfied with their performance and the whole team.

"We tried to put the opponent under pressure and we did it well, no one had a bad performance."