FA Cup: Birmingham City can focus on their push for promotion from the Championship after they lost 2-0 to Wolves in the Cup
Wolverhampton Wanderers, with their first victory at Birmingham City since April Fool's Day 2001, swept into the last 32 of the FA Cup at the expense of neighbours vying for a place in the Premier League – although not without provoking bitter complaints from the Birmingham camp.
The Championship leaders scored either side of half-time through their second-choice strike pairing of Andy Keogh and Sam Vokes, their second goal featuring an unwitting assist by the referee Howard Webb, who was hit by a pass from Radhi Jaidi seconds before the ball was in Birmingham's net.
Yet until they came under late pressure, with Cameron Jerome twanging their bar and seeing an effort cleared off the line by Keogh, Wolves' superiority befitted a team seven points ahead of their opponents.
The Birmingham manager, Alex McLeish, dismissed the idea of Wolves' success having a psychological impact on the promotion issue and was more aggravated by the performance of Webb, who, McLeish claimed, had refused his team a penalty when Marcus Bent was brought down by Richard Stearman shortly after allowing Wolves a debatable opening goal.
"We feel aggrieved because it was a bad challenge on Bent," McLeish said. "Howard is the man on the spot and he's a superb ref. But this time he got it wrong. We also felt Keogh may have been offside on the first goal. Big decisions change games."
The Wolves manager, Mick McCarthy, was also derisive about the impact the match will have on the title race. "We played well and deserved to win," said McCarthy. "I thought it was a penalty [after Stearman's challenge] but then we had one we didn't get against Preston."
Webb's judgment certainly went a long way towards deciding the outcome. Not only did it deny McLeish's men a possible equaliser but it spared the already booked Stearman a red card. Perhaps smoke got in the official's eyes, for an acrid mist was drifting across the pitch from a fire in a nearby bus depot throughout the first half.
Wolves' greater enterprise was rewarded seven minutes before half-time after Michael Kightly put Keogh through for his first goal since early October. The advantage was doubled after the ubiquitous Keogh's pass to the overlapping Kightly led to a low cross which Vokes nudged in to raucous glee from the old-gold hordes.