Por la fecha 22 de la Premier League de Inglaterra, el Queens Park Rangers sentenció 3-1 al Wigan. De esta manera, el Queens Park Rangers suma 20 unidades, colocándose decimosexto. Por su parte, el Wigan continúa hundiéndose: Está último, a un punto del Bolton, que aún debe su partido.
A los 33 minutos, el penal que ejecutó Helguson abrió la cuenta para los locales. Y antes de que termine el primer tiempo, Akos Buzsáky estampó el 2-0, con un potente remate. La visita parecía no tener reacción. QPR manejaba la pelota a gusto y placer.
Ya en la segunda etapa, Wigan adelantó sus líneas y consiguió el descuento, mediante el colombiano Hugo Rodallega, a los 66 minitos. Pero la ilusión del empate quedó trunca, ya que al minuto 81 apareció Tommy Smith, para poner el 3-1 final. También fue de la partida el hondureño Maynor Figueroa.
sábado, 21 de enero de 2012
Stoke City 1 - 2 West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion, con el defensa chileno Gonzalo Jara en el banco de suplentes, derrotó este sábado como visitante por 2-1 al Stoke City, en compromiso válido por la 22ª fecha de la Premier League de Inglaterra.
Los 'Baggies' cumplieron una maciza actuación en el Estadio Britannia, anulando el circuito en medioterreno del dueño de casa, y llegaron al triunfo gracias a los tantos de James Morrison (35') y Graham Dorrans (90'). El descuento de Stoke lo marcó Cameron Jerome (86').
Con este resultado, West Bromwich respira más tranquilo con el tema del descenso a la Championship League, ya que llegó a 25 unidades y está siete puntos sobre el primero en zona roja, el Wolverhampton.
Por otro lado, Gonzalo Jara fue alabado por quien fue su entrenador en el Brighton & Hove Albion, el uruguayo Gustavo Poyet. El formado en Huachipato y con paso por Colo Colo estuvo a fines de 2011 dos meses a préstamo en la citada institución.
Es un buen jugador, me gustaría que estuviese acá, pero ha estado jugando y se hace muy complicado, expresó el DT al diario The Argus.
Los 'Baggies' cumplieron una maciza actuación en el Estadio Britannia, anulando el circuito en medioterreno del dueño de casa, y llegaron al triunfo gracias a los tantos de James Morrison (35') y Graham Dorrans (90'). El descuento de Stoke lo marcó Cameron Jerome (86').
Con este resultado, West Bromwich respira más tranquilo con el tema del descenso a la Championship League, ya que llegó a 25 unidades y está siete puntos sobre el primero en zona roja, el Wolverhampton.
Por otro lado, Gonzalo Jara fue alabado por quien fue su entrenador en el Brighton & Hove Albion, el uruguayo Gustavo Poyet. El formado en Huachipato y con paso por Colo Colo estuvo a fines de 2011 dos meses a préstamo en la citada institución.
Es un buen jugador, me gustaría que estuviese acá, pero ha estado jugando y se hace muy complicado, expresó el DT al diario The Argus.
Sunderland 2 - 0 Swansea City
Two fine goals in either half saw Sunderland leapfrog Swansea in the Barclays Premier League as the Black Cats' excellent run of form under Martin O'Neill continues.
The men from Wearside have now banked 16 points in eight games since O'Neill's arrival and produced two finishes of the highest quality to sink a Swansea side who brought their trademark passing game to the party.
The Black Cats might have seen chances go begging at Chelsea in their previous outing but they were right on the money in front of goal this time to move decisively back into the top ten.
Stephane Sessegnon opened the scoring from an acute angle early on to nose Sunderland in front before Craig Gardner stepped off the bench to score a spectacular second late on.
Sunderland seem to be re-establishing their dominance on home turf - this was their third win in four outings at the Stadium of Light, during which time they have conceded just two goals.
Swansea had the better of the possession for long periods - particularly in the first half - but couldn't make Sunderland pay as the hosts were rewarded for their defensive solidity, calmness under pressure and, ultimately, their ability to take chances.
Brendan Rodgers' City arrived on Wearside on a high and the game had all the makings of an intriguing encounter with both teams ranked amongst the division's most in-form outfits.
The hosts almost claimed an opening goal after just five minutes, Seb Larsson striking the base of the post with a stinging volley after McClean picked him out with a deep cross.
But O'Neill's men were disrupted by injury after just 12 minutes, with Nicklas Bendtner being forced off following a kick to the head to be replaced by the returning Connor Wickham.
Riding high on a five-match unbeaten run, Swansea could have been ahead soon afterwards.
Nathan Dyer scampered down the right and his low cross was touched on by Danny Graham beyond Phil Bardsley for the incoming Scott Sinclair, who blazed high and wide with the goal at his mercy.
The Swans' profligacy was punished by Sessegnon, who produced a moment dripping with quality to give the hosts the lead just before the quarter-hour.
The little winger from Benin produced some lovely interplay with McClean, pulling off two slick one-twos either side of some lovely skill to beat a Swansea player in close attention.
Seemingly forced wide, there seemed little available for Sessegnon, who delved deep into his box of footballing tricks and clipped a curling shot from a tight angle over the head of a stranded Michel Vorm and into the far top corner of the goal.
The strike brought the Stadium of Light to its feet and further enhanced Sessegnon's growing reputation as very much the straw which stirs the drink for Sunderland.
Swansea stuck to their guns, though, and could have been level with the half-hour mark approaching when Graham snuck around the back to nod Gylfi Sigurdsson's cross over the top.
Former Reading man Sigurdsson then fired narrowly wide from the edge of the box and then saw a low shot gathered by Mignolet as the Swans looked to make the most of their possession.
Sunderland held firm through late pressure in first-half stoppage time and had to be on their guard against futher forays early in the second period.
Mignolet was quick to claim at his near post after Brown deflected Dyer's cross goalwards, while the Belgian then did well to beat out Sigurdsson's 58th-minute free kick.
But Sunderland almost doubled their lead with 14 minutes remaining; Sessegnon heading McClean's cross just past the post after Wickham's deft touch released the Irish flyer.
That chance set the scene for a fascinating final 10 minutes, with Wickham blasting off target from 12 yards for Sunderland and Swansea's Sinclair blazing over from the edge of the box with a clear sight of goal.
Again the miss was to prove costly as Sunderland wrapped up their third league win of the month of January with a fine goal from sub Gardner five minutes from time.
The midfielder was given plenty of room to meet a Sessegnon pass and he looked up before raking a fine lofted shot over the head of a stranded Vorm and into the far corner.
It was fitting that such a super goal proved to be the final act on an afternoon when fine finishing proved to be the decisive factor.
Sunderland: Mignolet, Bardsley, Richardson, Brown, O'Shea, Larsson (Elmohamady, 89), McClean, Cattermole (C), Vaughan (Gardner, 79), Sessegnon, Bendtner (Wickham, 12).
Subs Not Used: Turner, Dong-won, Meyler, Westwood.
Booked: None.
Sent Off: None.
Swansea: Vorm, Rangel, Caulker, Taylor, Williams (C), Dyer, Sinclair, Britton (Routledge, 78), Allen, Sigurdsson (McEachran, 66), Graham.
The men from Wearside have now banked 16 points in eight games since O'Neill's arrival and produced two finishes of the highest quality to sink a Swansea side who brought their trademark passing game to the party.
The Black Cats might have seen chances go begging at Chelsea in their previous outing but they were right on the money in front of goal this time to move decisively back into the top ten.
Stephane Sessegnon opened the scoring from an acute angle early on to nose Sunderland in front before Craig Gardner stepped off the bench to score a spectacular second late on.
Sunderland seem to be re-establishing their dominance on home turf - this was their third win in four outings at the Stadium of Light, during which time they have conceded just two goals.
Swansea had the better of the possession for long periods - particularly in the first half - but couldn't make Sunderland pay as the hosts were rewarded for their defensive solidity, calmness under pressure and, ultimately, their ability to take chances.
Brendan Rodgers' City arrived on Wearside on a high and the game had all the makings of an intriguing encounter with both teams ranked amongst the division's most in-form outfits.
The hosts almost claimed an opening goal after just five minutes, Seb Larsson striking the base of the post with a stinging volley after McClean picked him out with a deep cross.
But O'Neill's men were disrupted by injury after just 12 minutes, with Nicklas Bendtner being forced off following a kick to the head to be replaced by the returning Connor Wickham.
Riding high on a five-match unbeaten run, Swansea could have been ahead soon afterwards.
Nathan Dyer scampered down the right and his low cross was touched on by Danny Graham beyond Phil Bardsley for the incoming Scott Sinclair, who blazed high and wide with the goal at his mercy.
The Swans' profligacy was punished by Sessegnon, who produced a moment dripping with quality to give the hosts the lead just before the quarter-hour.
The little winger from Benin produced some lovely interplay with McClean, pulling off two slick one-twos either side of some lovely skill to beat a Swansea player in close attention.
Seemingly forced wide, there seemed little available for Sessegnon, who delved deep into his box of footballing tricks and clipped a curling shot from a tight angle over the head of a stranded Michel Vorm and into the far top corner of the goal.
The strike brought the Stadium of Light to its feet and further enhanced Sessegnon's growing reputation as very much the straw which stirs the drink for Sunderland.
Swansea stuck to their guns, though, and could have been level with the half-hour mark approaching when Graham snuck around the back to nod Gylfi Sigurdsson's cross over the top.
Former Reading man Sigurdsson then fired narrowly wide from the edge of the box and then saw a low shot gathered by Mignolet as the Swans looked to make the most of their possession.
Sunderland held firm through late pressure in first-half stoppage time and had to be on their guard against futher forays early in the second period.
Mignolet was quick to claim at his near post after Brown deflected Dyer's cross goalwards, while the Belgian then did well to beat out Sigurdsson's 58th-minute free kick.
But Sunderland almost doubled their lead with 14 minutes remaining; Sessegnon heading McClean's cross just past the post after Wickham's deft touch released the Irish flyer.
That chance set the scene for a fascinating final 10 minutes, with Wickham blasting off target from 12 yards for Sunderland and Swansea's Sinclair blazing over from the edge of the box with a clear sight of goal.
Again the miss was to prove costly as Sunderland wrapped up their third league win of the month of January with a fine goal from sub Gardner five minutes from time.
The midfielder was given plenty of room to meet a Sessegnon pass and he looked up before raking a fine lofted shot over the head of a stranded Vorm and into the far corner.
It was fitting that such a super goal proved to be the final act on an afternoon when fine finishing proved to be the decisive factor.
Sunderland: Mignolet, Bardsley, Richardson, Brown, O'Shea, Larsson (Elmohamady, 89), McClean, Cattermole (C), Vaughan (Gardner, 79), Sessegnon, Bendtner (Wickham, 12).
Subs Not Used: Turner, Dong-won, Meyler, Westwood.
Booked: None.
Sent Off: None.
Swansea: Vorm, Rangel, Caulker, Taylor, Williams (C), Dyer, Sinclair, Britton (Routledge, 78), Allen, Sigurdsson (McEachran, 66), Graham.
Wolves 2 - 3 Aston Villa
Two-goal Robbie Keane marked his full Aston Villa debut with a superb second-half winner against 10-man Wolves in a pulsating Barclays Premier League derby at Molineux.
The on-loan Los Angeles Galaxy striker's double helped Villa to come from behind against his old club after Darren Bent's early penalty had been cancelled out by goals from Michael Kightly and Dave Edwards.
Wolves had been reduced to 10 men with 15 minutes remaining after midfielder Karl Henry kicked out at winger Marc Albrighton and received a red card.
Victory enabled Villa manager Alex McLeish to celebrate his 53rd birthday in style and his side have now taken 11 points from their last five away matches.
But Wolves remain embroiled in a relegation battle and are in the bottom three after their sequence without a league win was extended to eight games.
Villa started promisingly and should have gone ahead in the first minute.
Ciaran Clark delivered a telling cross from the left of the Wolves box and Gary Gardner found himself unmarked at the far post but headed wide.
Villa keeper Shay Given had to be alert to cling on to a low drive from Steve Fletcher after Wolves' nine-goal top scorer had seized on a low cross from Edwards.
But after 10 minutes Bent scored his 99th Premier League goal from the penalty spot to put Villa ahead.
Wolves could have no complaints as the England striker was chopped down inside the box by Christophe Berra.
Up stepped Bent to send Hennessey the wrong way from the spot.
Villa were looking the more threatening and Roger Johnson blocked a fierce drive from Gardner at the expense of a corner.
But after 21 minutes the lively Kightly brought Wolves level.
Emmanuel Frimpong showed some neat skill before finding Kightly on the right and he cut inside before beating Given with a low drive into the far corner.
Wolves were now in the ascendancy and Albrighton was forced to head a shot from Henry off the line.
Matt Jarvis then teed up Edwards in plenty of space near the Villa penalty spot but he powered his low drive straight at Given.
It came as no surprise when Wolves went ahead after 31 minutes through Edwards with Villa again vulnerable at a set-piece.
Kightly's corner was met by Johnson's powerful header and Edwards got in front of Given to head the ball into the roof of the net.
McLeish made a half-time substitution with Gabriel Agbonlahor making way for Stephen Warnock who slotted in at left-back which allowed Clark to move into midfield.
After 52 minutes Keane brought Villa level.
Jarvis' clearance fell straight to Clark who headed the ball down for Keane who swivelled and drilled a low shot past Hennessey into the corner of the net.
Wolves were forced into a change when Frimpong was accidentally caught in the face by Petrov when attacking a Kightly corner.
There was a lengthy delay before the on-loan Arsenal midfielder was stretchered off with his neck in a brace and replaced by Nenad Milijas.
Villa were galvanised by their equaliser and Hennessey had to save from his own defender when Stephen Ward connected with a Bent cross.
Albrighton made a 50-yard run and was only just too high with a 20 yard effort, while at the other end a Jarvis cross was just too high for Kightly who could not control his header.
Wolves were reduced to 10 men after 75 minutes when Henry kicked out at Albrighton when on the ground and was given a straight red card.
The former captain will miss the games with QPR, Liverpool and West Brom while serving a three-game ban.
Villa made their numerical advantage count when Keane scored a superb winner in the 84th minute.
Alan Hutton's cross was only half cleared to Keane, whose fierce 20-yard drive flew past Hennessey into the top corner of the net.
The on-loan Los Angeles Galaxy striker's double helped Villa to come from behind against his old club after Darren Bent's early penalty had been cancelled out by goals from Michael Kightly and Dave Edwards.
Wolves had been reduced to 10 men with 15 minutes remaining after midfielder Karl Henry kicked out at winger Marc Albrighton and received a red card.
Victory enabled Villa manager Alex McLeish to celebrate his 53rd birthday in style and his side have now taken 11 points from their last five away matches.
But Wolves remain embroiled in a relegation battle and are in the bottom three after their sequence without a league win was extended to eight games.
Villa started promisingly and should have gone ahead in the first minute.
Ciaran Clark delivered a telling cross from the left of the Wolves box and Gary Gardner found himself unmarked at the far post but headed wide.
Villa keeper Shay Given had to be alert to cling on to a low drive from Steve Fletcher after Wolves' nine-goal top scorer had seized on a low cross from Edwards.
But after 10 minutes Bent scored his 99th Premier League goal from the penalty spot to put Villa ahead.
Wolves could have no complaints as the England striker was chopped down inside the box by Christophe Berra.
Up stepped Bent to send Hennessey the wrong way from the spot.
Villa were looking the more threatening and Roger Johnson blocked a fierce drive from Gardner at the expense of a corner.
But after 21 minutes the lively Kightly brought Wolves level.
Emmanuel Frimpong showed some neat skill before finding Kightly on the right and he cut inside before beating Given with a low drive into the far corner.
Wolves were now in the ascendancy and Albrighton was forced to head a shot from Henry off the line.
Matt Jarvis then teed up Edwards in plenty of space near the Villa penalty spot but he powered his low drive straight at Given.
It came as no surprise when Wolves went ahead after 31 minutes through Edwards with Villa again vulnerable at a set-piece.
Kightly's corner was met by Johnson's powerful header and Edwards got in front of Given to head the ball into the roof of the net.
McLeish made a half-time substitution with Gabriel Agbonlahor making way for Stephen Warnock who slotted in at left-back which allowed Clark to move into midfield.
After 52 minutes Keane brought Villa level.
Jarvis' clearance fell straight to Clark who headed the ball down for Keane who swivelled and drilled a low shot past Hennessey into the corner of the net.
Wolves were forced into a change when Frimpong was accidentally caught in the face by Petrov when attacking a Kightly corner.
There was a lengthy delay before the on-loan Arsenal midfielder was stretchered off with his neck in a brace and replaced by Nenad Milijas.
Villa were galvanised by their equaliser and Hennessey had to save from his own defender when Stephen Ward connected with a Bent cross.
Albrighton made a 50-yard run and was only just too high with a 20 yard effort, while at the other end a Jarvis cross was just too high for Kightly who could not control his header.
Wolves were reduced to 10 men after 75 minutes when Henry kicked out at Albrighton when on the ground and was given a straight red card.
The former captain will miss the games with QPR, Liverpool and West Brom while serving a three-game ban.
Villa made their numerical advantage count when Keane scored a superb winner in the 84th minute.
Alan Hutton's cross was only half cleared to Keane, whose fierce 20-yard drive flew past Hennessey into the top corner of the net.
Norwich City 0 - 0 Chelsea
Chelsea sufrió un duro golpe en sus aspiraciones al título de la liga Premier al empatar el sábado 0-0 con Norwich.
El equipo dirigido por Andre Villas-Boas no transformó en goles su dominio en el segundo tiempo del partido disputado en Norwich, y el delantero Fernando Torres desperdició las mejores oportunidades de Chelsea.
El delantero madrileño, que no marca desde octubre, así como Juan Mata y sus compañeros, no tuvieron la precisión necesaria para superar al meta John Ruddy, aunque los locales, que tuvieron sus opciones, tampoco aprovecharon las que tuvieron.
Chelsea se mantuvo cuarto en la tabla de posiciones, a 10 puntos del líder Manchester City que el domingo choca con el tercero Tottenham
.
El arquero de Norwich, John Ruddy, atajó en los minutos finales un excelente remate del español Juan Mata, quien también le pegó desviado en otra oportunidad desperdiciada por los Blues.
El internacional inglés Frank Lampard, lesionado, tuvo que ser sustituido a los 37 minutos por el francés Florent Malouda, y a falta de poco menos de un cuarto de hora Torres fue reemplazado por el delantero belga Romelu Lukaku, pero la aportación de este fue aún menor.
El equipo dirigido por Andre Villas-Boas no transformó en goles su dominio en el segundo tiempo del partido disputado en Norwich, y el delantero Fernando Torres desperdició las mejores oportunidades de Chelsea.
El delantero madrileño, que no marca desde octubre, así como Juan Mata y sus compañeros, no tuvieron la precisión necesaria para superar al meta John Ruddy, aunque los locales, que tuvieron sus opciones, tampoco aprovecharon las que tuvieron.
Chelsea se mantuvo cuarto en la tabla de posiciones, a 10 puntos del líder Manchester City que el domingo choca con el tercero Tottenham
.
El arquero de Norwich, John Ruddy, atajó en los minutos finales un excelente remate del español Juan Mata, quien también le pegó desviado en otra oportunidad desperdiciada por los Blues.
El internacional inglés Frank Lampard, lesionado, tuvo que ser sustituido a los 37 minutos por el francés Florent Malouda, y a falta de poco menos de un cuarto de hora Torres fue reemplazado por el delantero belga Romelu Lukaku, pero la aportación de este fue aún menor.
miércoles, 18 de enero de 2012
FA Cup Wrexham (4)1 - 1(5) Brighton
Wrexham flew the Blue Square Bet Premier flag for as long as they possibly could in this FA Cup third-round replay, taking the Championship side Brighton to penalties after leading for much of the game and creating most of the chances. The substitute Dean Keates saw his first penalty saved by Brighton's goalkeeper Peter Brezovan, leaving the visitors to put a full set past Joslain Mayebi and earn a home tie against Newcastle in the fourth round.
"It was a proper Cup tie and a difficult one," said Gus Poyet, Brighton's manager. "Wrexham made plenty of chances but you need to take them. The Cup is about getting through somehow, and that's what we did."
Brighton had equalised only 13 minutes from the end of normal time and were lucky in the closing seconds of extra time, when Jay Harris headed against the bar. Both sides had chances in the added half hour, with Mayebi saving from Torbjorn Agdestein and Brezovan doing even better to prevent Wrexham's Mark Creighton scoring from Jamie Tolley's corner, but with Mayebi producing his best save of the game to deny Will Buckley with only minutes to go, another two hours of football after the first 1–1 draw failed to split teams three divisions apart.
"We had the better chances, I think," Wrexham's player-manager Andy Morrell said. "The lads are devastated in the dressing room but I've told them there's no need to be. We gave a decent Championship team a right run for their money. I am immensely proud, and now we need to use this as a springboard for promotion, like Crawley did [last season]."
Brighton had an escape after 20 minutes, when Morrell saw a shot cleared off the line by Iñigo Calderón, but if he was disappointed with that he only needed three minutes to make amends in full, advancing to the edge of the area and finding Brezovan's top-left corner with a perfectly placed shot that brought the Racecourse Ground to its feet.
Brezovan had to deny Adrian Ciesiewicz at the start of the second half as Wrexham threatened to extend their lead, and when Romain Vincelot failed to trap a ball on the left touchline and let a pass from a team-mate roll out for a home throw, it began to look as if it might not be Brighton's night.
Will Hoskins fired too high when Brighton worked a rare second-half shooting opportunity from a free kick, before Poyet sent on Agdestein and Ashley Barnes in an attempt to increase his attacking options. Either the plan worked or Wrexham tired, for in just about their first sustained attack of the game, Matt Sparrow crossed for Barnes to silence the crowd with a header that went in off a post. Extra time was lively and open, but ultimately Brighton took better penalties. "We had practised as well," Morrell said. "We were good, but how good were Brighton's penalty takers?"
"It was a proper Cup tie and a difficult one," said Gus Poyet, Brighton's manager. "Wrexham made plenty of chances but you need to take them. The Cup is about getting through somehow, and that's what we did."
Brighton had equalised only 13 minutes from the end of normal time and were lucky in the closing seconds of extra time, when Jay Harris headed against the bar. Both sides had chances in the added half hour, with Mayebi saving from Torbjorn Agdestein and Brezovan doing even better to prevent Wrexham's Mark Creighton scoring from Jamie Tolley's corner, but with Mayebi producing his best save of the game to deny Will Buckley with only minutes to go, another two hours of football after the first 1–1 draw failed to split teams three divisions apart.
"We had the better chances, I think," Wrexham's player-manager Andy Morrell said. "The lads are devastated in the dressing room but I've told them there's no need to be. We gave a decent Championship team a right run for their money. I am immensely proud, and now we need to use this as a springboard for promotion, like Crawley did [last season]."
Brighton had an escape after 20 minutes, when Morrell saw a shot cleared off the line by Iñigo Calderón, but if he was disappointed with that he only needed three minutes to make amends in full, advancing to the edge of the area and finding Brezovan's top-left corner with a perfectly placed shot that brought the Racecourse Ground to its feet.
Brezovan had to deny Adrian Ciesiewicz at the start of the second half as Wrexham threatened to extend their lead, and when Romain Vincelot failed to trap a ball on the left touchline and let a pass from a team-mate roll out for a home throw, it began to look as if it might not be Brighton's night.
Will Hoskins fired too high when Brighton worked a rare second-half shooting opportunity from a free kick, before Poyet sent on Agdestein and Ashley Barnes in an attempt to increase his attacking options. Either the plan worked or Wrexham tired, for in just about their first sustained attack of the game, Matt Sparrow crossed for Barnes to silence the crowd with a header that went in off a post. Extra time was lively and open, but ultimately Brighton took better penalties. "We had practised as well," Morrell said. "We were good, but how good were Brighton's penalty takers?"
FA Cup Wolves 0 - 1 Birmingham
Following a dour 0-0 draw at St Andrews over a week ago, this replay followed suit in an encounter where chances were at a premium as both teams lacked cutting edge.
However, Wade Elliott made the all important breakthrough deep into the second half as the Championship side extended Wolves' poor run to no win their last eight matches in all competitions.
Following a sluggish opening, the first clear-cut opportunity fell to the hosts as Sylvan Ebanks-Blake failed to direct a close-range header on target from Adam Hamill’s cross.
The visitors, who beat nine-man Millwall 6-0 at the weekend, were temporarily reduced to nine men themselves when Jean Beausejour and David Murphy were both withdrawn from the pitch to receive medical treatment following a nasty clash of heads, but Wolves couldn't capitalise.
As play restarted following a lengthy delay, Birmingham gained the ascendancy and Adam Rooney missed a golden chance to break the deadlock.
The Irish striker pounced on a dreadful defensive error from Christophe Berra to through on goal, but he failed to pull the trigger at the vital moment as Dorus De Vries eventually retrieved the ball.
Moments later, they came even closer when Jordan Mutch’s delightful in-swinging free-kick was flicked on by Curtis Davies, but De Vries produced a fine reaction save to palm the ball to safety.
Jonathan Spector was also unfortunate to see his crisp long-range effort sail narrowly past the post as the first period ended goalless.
The game carried on in the same vein after the break as both teams were restricted to shots from distance.
Mutch’s 30-yard effort had De Vries scrambling and Eggert Jonsson replied at the other end with a powerful strike that Colin Doyle saved down to his right.
Algerian midfielder Adlene Guedioura then instantly ripped an effort narrowly past the upright for the hosts, but still neither side could break the deadlock.
With the Wolves strikeforce looking drained of confidence, Mick McCarthy introduced top scorer Steven Fletcher into the proceedings on the 70 minute mark in search of the vital breakthrough.
However, Birmingham instantly responded to the change by opening the scoring themselves, as Elliott scrambled the ball home in the midst of a goalmouth melee after Mutch’s corner caused havoc in the home defence.
Beausejour nearly doubled the visitors' advantage soon after with a side-footed effort that was tipped away by De Vries before Stephen Hunt came a whisker away from equalising in the dying embers of the game.
Wolves huffed and puffed towards the last seconds, but they failed to find a goal as the final whistle was greeted by a chorus of jeers from the home contingent.
Chris Hughton’s side will now travel to League One high-flyers Sheffield United in the next round of the competition.
However, Wade Elliott made the all important breakthrough deep into the second half as the Championship side extended Wolves' poor run to no win their last eight matches in all competitions.
Following a sluggish opening, the first clear-cut opportunity fell to the hosts as Sylvan Ebanks-Blake failed to direct a close-range header on target from Adam Hamill’s cross.
The visitors, who beat nine-man Millwall 6-0 at the weekend, were temporarily reduced to nine men themselves when Jean Beausejour and David Murphy were both withdrawn from the pitch to receive medical treatment following a nasty clash of heads, but Wolves couldn't capitalise.
As play restarted following a lengthy delay, Birmingham gained the ascendancy and Adam Rooney missed a golden chance to break the deadlock.
The Irish striker pounced on a dreadful defensive error from Christophe Berra to through on goal, but he failed to pull the trigger at the vital moment as Dorus De Vries eventually retrieved the ball.
Moments later, they came even closer when Jordan Mutch’s delightful in-swinging free-kick was flicked on by Curtis Davies, but De Vries produced a fine reaction save to palm the ball to safety.
Jonathan Spector was also unfortunate to see his crisp long-range effort sail narrowly past the post as the first period ended goalless.
The game carried on in the same vein after the break as both teams were restricted to shots from distance.
Mutch’s 30-yard effort had De Vries scrambling and Eggert Jonsson replied at the other end with a powerful strike that Colin Doyle saved down to his right.
Algerian midfielder Adlene Guedioura then instantly ripped an effort narrowly past the upright for the hosts, but still neither side could break the deadlock.
With the Wolves strikeforce looking drained of confidence, Mick McCarthy introduced top scorer Steven Fletcher into the proceedings on the 70 minute mark in search of the vital breakthrough.
However, Birmingham instantly responded to the change by opening the scoring themselves, as Elliott scrambled the ball home in the midst of a goalmouth melee after Mutch’s corner caused havoc in the home defence.
Beausejour nearly doubled the visitors' advantage soon after with a side-footed effort that was tipped away by De Vries before Stephen Hunt came a whisker away from equalising in the dying embers of the game.
Wolves huffed and puffed towards the last seconds, but they failed to find a goal as the final whistle was greeted by a chorus of jeers from the home contingent.
Chris Hughton’s side will now travel to League One high-flyers Sheffield United in the next round of the competition.
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