Christian Benitez’s seventh minute unmarked header and an acute curling finish from Scottish midfielder Barry Ferguson following a superb team build-up put the travelling side in command and not even a Leon Osman inspired Everton fight back in the second half could prevent Alex McLeish’s men from extending their 14 game unbeaten run in all competitions.
Ferguson (above) capped a fine Birmingham performance with his sides second.
The Birmingham boss lauded the battling qualities of this season’s surprise package: “The lads threw themselves in the way of everything, blocking and heading everything away. The second half was a test of our character and we came through it”.
After recent fine form, the return of some key long term injury absentees and harbouring hopes of yet another May day Wembley outing, Everton Manager David Moyes was left rueing his teams lackadaisical start to the game, now leaving just the Europa League as the club’s only realistic chance for success this campaign. Moyes said: “Our slow start has got to be of concern to me. But the big worry is how we have put in such good performances recently and then shown this massive drop in the first half.
“We gave a good performance in the second half but it was not enough. Still, you have to give Birmingham credit. They deserved to go through”.
A Goodison charge after the re-start was boosted with the introduction of Leon Osman for Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and his tidy finish was detriment to his impact on proceedings to bring the Toffees within a goal of earning a replay at St Andrews. Osman, seemed to be fleet of foot and have the charisma to drive a Everton charge in an otherwise disappointing performance from his team-mates.
However a bruising Birmingham defensive display superbly led by Scott Dann, a player previously earmarked in the Everton scouting books, nullified any home threat of a reprieve with only a late effort from the distinctive Marouane Fellaini calling the ever reliable on-loan Birmingham goalkeeper, Joe Hart into action.
Before kick off, an expectant Goodison Park was buoyed by the news of a return to the first team fold for Mikel Arteta. Everton’s Spanish creator, named on the substitute’s bench, had been sidelined since last February with a cruciate knee injury. His arrival into the squad bought a rise smile to all evertonians in an otherwise unchanged line-up from the side that coasted past high flying Manchester City last weekend.
These smiles were left in tatters though shortly after kick off when a lively Birmingham start punished costly Everton defending. Left back Leighton Baines failed to clear a Keith Fahey driven ball and it fell kindly to Benitez who headed home after loosing his marker, Phil Neville, in a treacherous home side defensive effort.
But it was Birmingham’s second goal which proved they do not need to rely on opposition mental lapses. Free-flowing and neat midfield play allowed Swede wide-man Sebastian Larsson to dance his way through to the edge of the Everton box, where former Blue James Mcfadden produced a delicate flick into the stride of all action midfielder, Barry Ferguson, who coolly dispatched his effort beating the despairing dive of Tim Howard.
The lead was more then enough to silence the home contingent and McLeish’s impressive outfit did not look in danger of surrendering their advantage. Not even the introduction of Arteta with a quarter of an hour to play could conjure up a Everton equaliser as Birmingham kept themselves in the frame for having an outside chance of achieving FA Cup glory this term.
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