Birmingham City achieved the final-day victory they needed to give them a chance of staying in the Championship – but were not granted the favour from elsewhere to turn that opportunity into a reality.
Blues not only needed to beat Norwich City, which they did courtesy of Paik Seung-ho’s first goal in English football, but they needed one of Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield Wednesday or Blackburn Rovers to slip up.
Instead, all three recorded wins, with perhaps the most surprising of the day being the latter’s 2-0 victory at the King Power Stadium, home of the champions and courtesy of a brace from the league’s leading scorer Sammie Szmodics.
The fact that the smash and grab raid was masterminded by former Blues’ boss John Eustace, relieved of his duties at St Andrew’s earlier this season and replaced by Wayne Rooney, added a bitterly ironic after-taste to the most unpalatable of relegations.
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LeicestershireLive’s Leicester City writer Jordan Blackwell reported on Eustace’s effective game-plan which caught the Foxes, who sealed the title at Preston on Monday, off guard.
Jordan gave us this assessment: “In being the last of Birmingham’s rivals to take the lead, it only exacerbated the feeling that John Eustace was sending his old club down. But Blackburn’s success was as much about Leicester’s tired, end-of-season display.
“Blackburn’s tactics were clear. Hoping to catch Leicester hungover after the week of celebrations, they started quickly, not allowing them to build from the back.
“Sondre Tronstad was sharp to press Harry Winks every time he received the ball from Leicester’s defence, stopping the midfield linchpin from turning out, pinching the ball on one occasion to set up a chance for Sam Gallagher that was fired into the side-netting.
“Leicester didn’t muster much when they did get into attacking areas, with Enzo Maresca’s side coasting towards the trophy display. Though Callum Britain forcing Stephy Mavididi on to his left foot, even if that put him in more dangerous positions, worked to limit the winger’s threat.
“The second half looked like being as bland as the first but Rovers knew they had the pace to counter. With Leicester pushing, they left Vestergaard isolated. Not much research is needed to know the Dane is on the slow side, so when Sammie Szmodics put him off as they went for the high ball, the division’s top scorer was able to race away, knowing nobody could catch him.
“As he often has this season, he had a cool finish at the end of the run too. That sparked Leicester into life, but when the big chances came, Aynsley Pears was in the way. The Blackburn goalkeeper made one tremendous save to keep his clean sheet, tipping Winks’ blast at goal onto the crossbar.
“Szmodics used that pace again in added time to beat Mads Hermansen to a long ball and race away for the second goal. He had his arms out in celebration before he tapped in, knowing he was about to keep Blackburn up, and send Birmingham down.”
He was also about to make Eustace a very relieved man.
