Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
KRISTIAN FAITH
Pedersen claims Blues have belief to stay safe after ‘emotional’ goal
KRISTIAN PEDERSEN was close to tears as he told how much this win meant to him.
The Danish defender has had personal problems as well as trying to lift Birmingham clear of relegation.
He headed an equaliser – his first goal for more than a year – as Blues fought back from one down and climbed five points above the drop zone.
Birmingham have another relegation battle with Huddersfield tomorrow, but Pedersen is calm and in control of his emotions again. He was close to breaking down as he talked about what he has gone through off the field.
He kept the details to himself, but revealed: “I am a private person but there is some stuff going on at home also, so it’s affected me a little bit, you know?
“I’m just happy that we won. Let’s be honest, it has not been the best weeks when we have been losing and for me, it’s been a tough time.”
Birmingham played well but were trailing after 44 minutes to Charlie Austin’s fourth goal of his QPR loan spell.
“It was a mental breakdown when they scored. We were thinking ‘Oh, this is going to be one of those games where we play well and lose’,” added Pedersen. “You can’t play well and lose, you need to win.”
Pedersen headed an 82nd-minute equaliser and three minutes later sub Alen Halilovic’s first goal for Blues gave them only their third home win in 13 months.
It’s a dreadful record that was hauling Birmingham towards League One and Pedersen said: “We showed we can fight back when it hurts the most.
“I’m happy to pay back because there’s been some hard weeks.
“No-one was expecting us to win when we were 1-0 down. I can’t stress how much it means to me to score this goal. In this position we are in, it means the world to me.
“I was part of conceding QPR’S goal so I felt guilty.
“We haven’t won many games at home, but this gives us confidence and a belief that we can do this.
“There’s still pressure but we can’t think of that because then we are going to drop again. We need at least a few more wins before we can feel safe. But we have that winning feeling back we almost forgot.”
Rangers were kicking themselves for not adding to their five-game unbeaten run and manager Mark Warburton said: “We had a good chance for a second goal and if we had taken that then the game would have been over.”
Etheridge 6, Colin 6, Dean 6, Clarke-salter 6 (Roberts 62, 5), Pedersen 8, Sunjic 6, Sanchez 7 (Valery 90), Harper 6, Gardner 6 (Halilovic 62, 6), Bela 7 (Leko 62, 5), Hogan 6 (Jutkiewicz 71, 5)
QPR: Dieng 6, Kane 6, Barbet 6, Cameron 6, Dickie 6, Johansen 6 (Adomah 87), Ball 6, Hamalainen 6, Bonne 6 (Kelman 87), Austin 7 (Dykes 55, 5), Willock 6 (Field 55, 5)
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ARNAUT DANJUMA was pleased as punch with his goal and Bournemouth’s win, despite the fact a mass brawl at the end of the game overshadowed victory.
Danjuma struck (right) just past the hour after referee Tony Harrington gave the Cherries a free-kick for Nathaniel Chalobah’s slap on Jefferson Lerma, having first penalised Lerma for a foul.
Tempers continued to rise after the flashpoint, for which Chalobah was booked, his 10th of the season, meaning he is now out for two games.
And they boiled over when
KICK-OFF Tom Cleverley and Jack Wilshere clash (top) as tempers boiled over at the end of the game and (below) Wilshere gets sent off
Watford striker Joao Pedro was dismissed for a second booking seven minutes into stoppage time and Bournemouth’s Jack Wilshere was sent off for shoving Tom Cleverley, having already been booked, two minutes later.
Danjuma said: “It was a very heated game, obviously towards the end as well, but the best way to beat them is to make sure you win the game.
“I had a chance before I scored as well, made a great run, had a good touch. I thought I would have scored it but the keeper did well. I got him back later on. I’m more than happy.
“Obviously, Jeff and Chalobah, they were a bit on to each other, but that’s football, it’s passion, it happens, although it became a bit too much.
“It should not get to the extent of where it went here – pushing, red cards, yellow cards. It’s the responsibility of the players themselves. You should be able to control your emotions.”
Bournemouth’s interim boss
Jonathan Woodgate said: “I was really pleased for Arnaut. His reaction has been different class in training. When he came on against Cardiff the other night he was very good and here he deserved his goal.
“Hopefully he keeps improving and doesn’t settle for that.”
Watford boss Xisco Munoz said: “It’s true that we could give a better performance but our team was in the game.
“We showed intensity, heart and tried to play.”
BOURNEMOUTH: Begovic 7, Smith 7, Carter-vickers 7, S Cook 7, Kelly 7, Pearson 8 (Billing 85), Lerma 6, Stanislas 6 (Wilshere 74, 5), L Cook 7, Danjuma 8, Solanke 6 (Long 79, 6).
WATFORD: Bachmann 7, Femenia 7, Cathcart 6, Sierralta 6, Masina 6 (Lazaar 75, 6), Sarr 6, Chalobah 6 (Gosling 74, 6), Hughes 6, Cleverley 7, Sema 6 (Perica 83), Pedro 6.
MOTM ARNAUT DANJUMA (BOURNEMOUTH)