Carabao Cup: Jay Stansfield Leads Fulham to a 2-0 Victory Over Birmingham
Carabao Cup 2024 Updates: With a goal by Jay Stansfield, Fulham defeats Birmingham and advances to the Carabao Cup third round. The early penalty from Raul Jimenez set the stage for the Cottagers’ victory.
On his return to Birmingham, Jay Stansfield declined to celebrate his goal as Fulham easily defeated them 2-0 in the Carabao Cup second round.
Raul Jimenez’s penalty kick in the 10th minute had given Fulham the lead, but Stansfield, 21, who was named Birmingham’s multiple player of the year and leading scorer with 13 goals the previous season, tied the score after 14 minutes.
Birmingham’s fierce free-kick from Willum Willumsson struck the crossbar. Despite eleven changes to their lineup, Fulham’s Premier League caliber was evident, and League One favorites City’s winning streak of four games came to an end with the loss.
With their first real attempt, the Londoners got a penalty after Alex Cochrane, the left-back for City, committed a handball. Jimenez, a former striker for Wolves, maintained composure to roll the ball coolly to Ryan Allsop’s left, where he went the other way.
Steven Benda, the goalie, stopped Christoph Klarer’s looping header, which gave Birmingham their first opportunity. However, Fulham went back on the offensive as Stansfield doubled their advantage.
After a long pass from Joachim Andersen, the England U21 international collected the ball and curled it around Allsop and into the far corner with ease. The City supporters cheered the young player behind the goal, but he declined to celebrate out of respect for the team where he played last season.
Stansfield made a bold 40-yard attempt to double his score, but it was missed. Timothy Castagne waved Keshi Anderson’s header off the line as City attempted to get back into the match.
However, Fulham was in command and came dangerously close to scoring a third when, under duress from Jimenez, Krystian Bielik missed his own goal. Willumsson’s tremendous free kick that ricocheted against the bar and into safety two minutes before halftime gave Birmingham the best chance to open the scoring.
After the interval, Birmingham tried to exert pressure on Fulham without endangering the goal. Just after the hour, City manager Chris Davies made three substitutions to get his team back into the game.
Alfie May, Emil Hansson, and Anderson were replaced by Tyler Roberts, Koji Miyoshi, and Ayumu Yokoyama, and it appeared to be effective as City made their first real threat in the second half.
Cochrane unleashed a fierce drive, but Benda deflected his 25-yard attempt around the post. When Stansfield was replaced in the 78th minute, both sets of supporters cheered.
Fulham Boss Marco Silva, stated:
“I can almost assure you that Stansfield will be our player, but I can’t promise anything because it’s hard to control the market.” “For Jay, we have a strategy. It was evident two seasons ago that he required first-team action, so he moved to League One and excelled there.
“He advanced last season, showcasing his abilities both at this club and in championship games. “We intend for him to be a member of our team. Being in the Premier League’s starting lineup is really difficult, but he’s willing to work for it.”
Birmingham Boss Chris Davies, stated:
“We had a great start, but accepting the penalty was a very tough choice.
“I understand how difficult it can be for officials and referees, and that things may happen rapidly, but if VAR had looked into it, it undoubtedly would have been reversed.
“It was not a ball in the hand. It is challenging to concede the opening goal against a team like Fulham, but the reaction was outstanding.
“In general, I felt that we were the superior squad. We stopped using Jay Stansfield’s striker run, and even though it was a nice conclusion, I thought it went against the flow of the game.
“Overall my overriding feeling is pride in the players for their work ethic, their attitude, the belief and the bravery they showed and for the quality of our play.”
