Birmingham City 2-1 Sunderland: Tony Mowbray's Blues turn it round to beat old club
- Published
- comments
Matchwinner Koji Miyoshi now has five goals for Birmingham City this season
Birmingham City had to come from behind to beat Sunderland as they won successive Championship games for the first time since October.
After trailing to a sloppy Jack Clarke goal at half-time, Blues turned it round with a Jordan James equaliser before Koji Miyoshi struck an 80th-minute close-range winner.
Roared on by a crowd of 27,449 - the biggest home gate for more than seven years - that completed a double for Blues boss Tony Mowbray, who won this fixture when still the Sunderland manager back in November.
Having led the Wearsiders to a 3-1 win at the Stadium of Light he repeated that trick in his first meeting against his old club.
Blues had lost their last three meetings with the Black Cats, but Miyoshi, who also scored at the Stadium Of Light, hit his fifth goal of the season to secure the three points - and catapult the hosts up to 15th.
Although Jay Stansfield was close to scoring for Blues with a ripping right-foot volley turned over the bar by keeper Anthony Patterson, Sunderland went ahead on 22 minutes - a 15th goal of the campaign for top scorer Clarke, but a shoddy goal to give away.
From a loose square pass by new signing Paik Seung-ho, Marc Roberts was slow to react, Clarke nipped in to intercept and raced clear to steer a curled low right-foot finish into the bottom right corner.
But Blues were level when Tyler Roberts had his shot saved by Patterson, and, although Miyoshi twice had shots blocked, the ball fell to James, who coolly steered home a right-foot effort from close range for the teenager's seventh goal of the season.
Sunderland, who had Blues youth product Jobe Bellingham making his first return since his summer move from Birmingham, had the ball in the net again in the 68th minute - but Mason Burstow's header from Clarke's free-kick was ruled offside. And instead it was Blues who won it 10 minutes from time.
From Juninho Bacuna's dubious but quickly taken free-kick out on the left, Jay Stansfield's pass was deflected - and Japan midfielder Miyoshi reacted sharpest to prod home ahead of keeper Patterson - to complete back-to-back league games for the first time since just before John Eustace was sacked in early October, when Blues were sixth.
Who's next?
Mowbray's Blues are back on the road next Saturday when they visit another of his many former clubs Ipswich Town.
Sunderland, in 10th, are at home the same day to Swansea City.
Birmingham City boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio WM:
"We gifted them a goal but, with the help of our fans driving the players on, we found a way to win - and I'm delighted for everyone.
"It was amazing to see a full stadium - and it was amazing to see the players work so hard to get the result we all really wanted.
"Sunderland are a really good team with some very bright clever young footballers - and we just have to try to continue in the same vein. There are some massive games coming up."
Sunderland boss Michael Beale told BBC Radio Newcastle:
"We looked a really good team first half, our pressing was good, we deserved our lead and could have been two up.
"But it was the complete opposite in the second half. The crowd was up and we didn't handle it so well. We switched off in a key moment.
"What can I say about our away form that hasn't already been said by me or Tony before me? It hasn't been good enough."