Birmingham City player ratings after Ethan Laird dazzles in Wigan rout

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Birmingham City are back on top of League One after thumping Wigan Athletic 3-0 at The Brick Community Stadium.

The recalled Ethan Laird had a hand in all three goals against Wigan to set up a brace for Alfie May and a goal for Willum Willumsson. Blues climbed back to the top of the table courtesy of Wycombe's failure to beat Blackpool.

Ryan Allsop made a superb early save to keep Wigan winger Jonny Smith at bay. Smith’s shot took a wicked deflection but Allsop adjusted quickly to keep the ball out with his left leg.

Blues weathered an early storm in Wigan before taking the lead with their first attack of the game. A corner wasn’t cleared and Laird’s cross from the right was spilled by Wigan goalkeeper Sam Tickle into the path of May who made no mistake from 10 yards.

Laird won’t be credited with an assist for May’s first goal but he put the second on a plate for the striker. Paik Seung-ho’s exquisite pass found Laird in behind Wigan’s backline and the right-back squared the ball for May to tap in.

Wigan quickly reminded Blues of their own threats going forward. The dangerous Michael Olakigbe drifted inside from the left and smashed a shot against the foot of the post.

Blues barely gave Wigan a sniff from thereon and scored the all-important third goal just after the hour. Laird was again the creator with a pinpoint pull-back from the right and Willumsson nonchalantly directed the ball in at the near post.

Allsop preserved his clean sheet with a smart save from Wigan captain Jason Kerr’s poke goalwards at an 84th minute corner. Other than that, Blues were largely untroubled after Willumsson’s clincher.

A late equaliser for Blackpool at Wycombe Wanderers saw the final moments in Wigan played out to chants of 'We're gonna win the league'. Advantage Blues in this ever-changing League One title race.

Ryan Allsop 7

The goalkeeper’s early save from Jonny Smith set Blues up for their victory. It could well have been a different game had Allsop not reacted so sharply to keep out Smith’s deflected shot.

Ethan Laird 9*

Laird had himself a game. The flying full-back created all three goals, although he will only officially be credited with assists for the second and third. Laird was outstanding on the right for Blues and gave them the speed going forward which has been lacking in recent games.

Christoph Klarer 8

Captain-for-the-day Klarer was excellent at the back. Klarer won five aerial challenges in the first half to set the tone for a dominant display.

Ben Davies 7.5

A typically no nonsense performance from Davies to help Blues to yet another clean sheet. Blues have conceded seven goals with Davies on the field and the on-loan Rangers man has now played 20 games.

Alex Cochrane 7

Cochrane got to grips with Wigan dangerman Jonny Smith after the hosts’ early onslaught. The left-back showed Smith onto his weaker right foot to reduce the quality of crosses going into Blues’ box.

Tomoki Iwata 7

The fact the midfielder started again shows how important he is to Chris Davies and Iwata repaid his manager with another solid showing. Iwata looked relieved to see his number up in the 73rd minute after a breathless 433 minutes of football in 13 days.

Paik Seung-ho 8

Paik’s pass to release Laird to set up May’s second goal was perfectly executed and the type of quality football fans pay to see. Paik constantly nicked possession from Wigan’s midfielders and marauded forward in the second half.

Willum Willumsson 7.5

Aside from his ice cold finish for Blues’ third goal, Willumsson was nice and tidy in possession and involved going forward. When Laird and Willumsson are in sync, you can see why the Icelandic is selected so often on the right wing.

Luke Harris 7

Harris had one of his best games of the season in his preferred number 10 position. The 19-year-old knitted things together nicely and looked good on the half-turn.

Taylor Gardner-Hickman 7

Gardner-Hickman has now played everywhere bar goalkeeper, centre-back and centre-forward for Blues after once again showing his versatility to play on the left wing effectively. You can’t fault his ability to slot into different positions for the benefit of the team.

Alfie May 8

The striker produced a couple of tidy finishes from close range and triggered the press well for Blues. May now has 11 goals this season so he’s on course to score 20 for the fourth successive season.

SUBS

Marc Leonard (for Harris, 59) 6.5

Leonard added a bit of extra quality in midfield, first in the number 10 role before dropping back to fill in for Iwata. The Scot has been unfortunate to only start one of Blues' five festive fixtures.

Scott Wright (for Iwata, 73) 6

Wright showed Wigan a clean pair of heels at one stage and could well be the ball carrier Blues have been lacking in recent weeks. He will surely get a start in the cup next week.

Lyndon Dykes (for May, 73) 6

Dykes put himself about and had a sight of goal that he couldn't convert. The striker desperately needs a goal.

Ayumu Yokoyama (for Willumsson, 90+5) N/A

Lukas Jutkiewicz (for Gardner-Hickman, 90+5) N/A

Not used: Peacock-Farrell, Sanderson

How did you rate the Blues players? Let us know HERE

Click here to read article