LUKAS LEVELLER EARNS REPLAY
HITMAN Lukas Jutkiewicz’s fired in a second-half equaliser to earn struggling Birmingham a deserved replay at Premier League Huddersfield.
The one-time Terriers loanee arrowed home a low shot nine minutes after the break after Steve Mounie’s emphatic header had given the Premier League side a slender lead in the first half.
Another bite at the cherry was just what Steve Cotterill’s strugglers deserved. They comfortably held their own against Huddersfield, who still look out of sorts after their recent top-flight struggles.
The Yorkshire side’s boss David Wagner made wholesale changes again after his side’s third-round win at Bolton – seven in all – and Blues counterpart Cotterill made the same number.
Both sides face crunch league clashes on Tuesday, with Liverpool visiting Huddersfield while the Blues go up against Championship relegation rivals Sunderland. Wagner said: “It isn’t the result which we wanted to have and I think it isn’t the result we deserved. We missed our clear-cut chances, which we had a few of and we made two individual mistakes before we conceded the first goal. “This means too many mistakes in the attack and too many mistakes in the defence and then it’s difficult to win.”
Blues boss Cotterill was pleased with a replay after having little to cheer about this season.
He said: “It’s a real tight one and we are slightly disappointed with that because getting a win would have been a fantastic result for us. “It’s a great result anyway. We played well, especially making seven changes and great credit to those players coming in, their fitness levels were tremendous. “It gives everyone a lift to not get beaten. That’s the big thing. The club, over the last year or so now, has probably got used to getting beaten every week.”
Birmingham looked more at ease with their fresh blood in the early stages and Jutkiewicz fired the wrong side of a post in the 16th minute from Carl Jenkinson’s right-wing cross.
But it was Huddersfield who took the lead through Mounie’s fifth goal of the season and their first moment of Premier League quality.
Florent Hadergjonaj swept the ball into the box from the right after linking up with Collin Quaner.
The midfielder found Mounie and his thumping downward header gave David Stockdale no chance.
The Birmingham keeper did better shortly afterwards – tipping over Quaner’s angled shot. Mounie headed over the crossbar as Birmingham’s threat waned before the break.
But Jutkiewicz lifted the visitors’
2,500-strong travelling fans after the break, latching on to Michael Hefele’s botched clearance and drilling a low
20-yard shot into the bottom corner via a slight deflection.
Stockdale saved well from Philip Billing’s thumping shot and Mounie blasted off target as Huddersfield responded, while Jota slipped the attention of several defenders to fire narrowly wide.
Jutkiewicz’s header was ruled out for offside as Blues served up another warning before forcing a smart save from keeper Joel Coleman.
Terriers’ substitute Scott Malone’s mis-kick two yards from his own goalline in the closing stages summed up his side’s afternoon.
And in stoppage time Joe Lolley blazed a golden chance over the crossbar following Quaner’s cutback.