Birmingham City advanced to the last-16 of the Vertu Trophy with a 2-1 win over Exeter City at St James Park.
Keshi Anderson struck the decisive blow 12 minutes from time after returning from suspension to start in Devon. Fulham loanee Luke Harris gave Blues the lead in the first half but Pierce Sweeney quickly cancelled it out.
Anderson passed up an early Christmas present from Exeter goalkeeper Shaun MacDonald inside 10 minutes. MacDonald played the ball straight to Anderson inside his own box but the returning Blues winger couldn’t get it under his spell and blazed high and wide of the gaping goal.
Harris accepted a similar gift midway through the first half to give Blues the lead. The midfielder, who scored four goals in 18 appearances on loan for Exeter last season, scored against them after more lax playing out from the back by the Grecians.
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RECAP: Exeter 1-2 Blues - As it happened at St James Park
Blues were pegged back in the 32nd minute when Exeter skipper Sweeney scored direct from a corner. Sweeney’s inswinger from the left found the bottom corner after Bailey Peacock-Farrell went down at his near post. Referee Sam Mulhall saw nothing wrong with the challenge on the Blues goalkeeper.
Blues were fortunate not to fall behind just before the hour when the ball fell nicely for Jay Bird inside the six-yard box. Ben Davies blocked Bird’s initial shot before Peacock-Farrell saved the rebound to keep the scores level.
Ayumu Yokoyama and Keshi Anderson carried Blues’ biggest threat and the wingers combined for the winning goal in the 78th minute. Yokoyama teased the ball in from the left and Anderson produced a delightful first-time finish to find the bottom corner.
Blues continue to fight on three fronts and have the chance to emulate Barry Fry’s team that completed the League One and EFL Trophy double in 1995.
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Bailey Peacock-Farrell 6
Peacock-Farrell made a couple of good saves in the second half after being put under pressure at set pieces following Sweeney’s equaliser.
Ethan Laird 5.5
Laird’s passes weren’t particularly accurate in the first half having been asked to help build attacks as one of Blues’ back three in possession. The lively Alli caused him plenty of problems.
Dion Sanderson 5.5
The defender looked very rusty in possession. Maybe that’s to be expected with this only his seventh appearance of the season.
Ben Davies 7
Davies looked assured in his defensive actions and produced one brilliant goal-line clearance in the second half. Blues always look less likely to concede with Davies on the field.
Lee Buchanan 6
A solid 60 minutes for Buchanan who started at left-back and tucked into midfield when Blues were in possession. He picked up a booking for a crunching challenge on Harper.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman 6.5
Gardner-Hickman started in midfield before switching to left-back after Buchanan’s withdrawal. He had more joy at full-back with some strong runs infield.
Marc Leonard 7
The midfielder kept Blues ticking over. Leonard took possession under pressure and never shied away from it, even when Blues weren’t at their fluid best.
Keshi Anderson 7.5
Anderson continues to be decisive in the final third. The winger marked his return with the winning goal and should have ended the night with a double. Nevertheless, Anderson was productive in attack.
Luke Harris 6.5
Harris scored his second goal for the club with a tidy finish after an Exeter error. The 19-year-old worked hard and didn’t give up on lost causes.
Ayumu Yokoyama 7
Yokoyama created the match-winning chance for Anderson with a lovely cross from the left. The youngster excited the 1,000-plus Blues fans in attendance with his direct play.
Lukas Jutkiewicz 6
Another workmanlike performance from Jutkiewicz but the striker didn’t have the impact that he did in the second half at Oakwell on Saturday.
SUBS
Paik Seung-ho (for Buchanan, 60) 6
Paik gave Blues greater quality in midfield in the closing stages and helped them progress the ball up the pitch more effectively.
Alfie May (for Jutkiewicz, 60) 6
May offered a more mobile attacking threat than Jutkiewicz and caused Exeter some problems by dropping deep to combine with his attacking colleagues.
Krystian Bielik (for Laird, 79) 6
Bielik shored up Blues’ back-line in his new position at right-back to help his team over the line after Anderson’s goal.
Not used: Allsop, Klarer, Iwata, Stansfield
