Blues beat local rivals West Bromwich Albion in spectacular fashion in the Sky Bet Championship.
After a “world-class” performance from Scott Hogan in the first half, and some late drama in the second, Blues were able to snatch three points from The Baggies at The Hawthorns.
Scott Hogan’s first half hattrick proved to be enough to secure a vital three points against local midland rivals West-Bromwich-Albion. This was despite a late push from The Baggies to secure two goals in the dying embers of the game.
TEAM NEWS:
Only a single change for Blues in this fixture. Hannibal was absent from the starting eleven, despite his spell of magnificent form in midfield as of late. He was replaced by Juninho Bacuna who saw his first start since coming back from injury a week ago.
MAIN EVENT:
It did not take long for the away end to erupt as Scott Hogan scored within the first 10 minutes.
But it did not stop there as Hogan managed to round the keeper and slot home a second at the 22nd minute mark, with a fine through ball from Troy Deeney.
The Coup-de-Grace for the Hosts came in the 45th minute and was also dealt by Hogan as he took on the entire West Brom backline before coolly slotting the ball into the bottom corner of their net.
HALF-TIME: West Bromwich Albion 0-3 Blues
Despite a terrific first-half display, Blues seemed to lose their footing in the second-half. They were not able to capitalise on the lead and allowed a plethora of West-Brom chances to come their way.
The hosts were adamant to get one back and managed to beat John Ruddy in the 65th minute.
Through a defensive error by Harlee Dean, Daryl Dike was able to nick the ball from his feet and capitalise by beating an unsuspecting John Ruddy on his near post in the 82nd minute.
FINAL OUTCOME:
Blues fans were on the edge of their seats as the hosts tried their best to comeback. But a couple of superb saves in added time from John Ruddy finally kept West-Brom at bay. This allowed Blues to celebrate a hard fought victory against their midlands rivals.
John Eustace described Scott Hogan’s performance as “world-class” and proceeded to praise the Irish striker. “We’re really lucky to have someone like Scotty in the team who can find those pockets of space and penetrate the defence of a strong opposition like West Brom”.
Despite this, the Gaffer was not about to get ahead of himself as he looked toward Blues following fixtures. “The championship is a tough league. It was a great win today but we are humble enough to not let this win get to our heads”.
NEXT UP:
Blues finish their March fixtures at their home ground St. Andrew’s as Blackburn Rovers make the trip down to the midlands on Friday evening for a 7:45pm kick-off. However, The Rovers are proving to be a formidable threat this season as they are looking to secure their place in the play-offs.
Tickets for this match can be purchased by clicking here.
