Birmingham City cause Conti Cup upset with victory over Brighton & Hove Albion

Birmingham City caused something of an upset in the group stage of the FA Women’s Continental League Cup with a 3-2 victory over top tier side Brighton & Hove Albion at St Andrew’s.

In a game that started 30 minutes later than planned, Barclays Women’s Championship club Birmingham City dominated the proceedings, recording a 3-2 win thanks to goals from Libby Smith, Jade Pennock and Lucy Quinn. After losing all their group stage games last year either in normal time or on penalties, this was a big win for the Blues.

Lucy Quinn made friends with the woodwork early on as her strike from range looked like it was going in, however, it sailed past Megan Walsh and bounced off the bottom of the post. It was a bright start from the home side as they looked comfortable in possession.

With around 15 minutes played, Brighton & Hove Albion kicked up a gear and the intensity increased. The football was end-to-end and both teams had their chances in front of goal. The Blues went close again when Smith was able to break down the wing. She powered towards goal but Walsh judged the shot well and was able to get down and make the save, Victoria Williams then cleared the danger.

The Seagulls were unable to keep Smith at bay for long. With 26 minutes played, the player once again broke down the wing, outrunning the defenders. She went one-on-one with Walsh, who made the initial save, but Smith was able to fire home the rebound to give the home side the lead.

Birmingham City had a lot of joy down the wings in the first half, despite the visitors having more possession overall. Both Smith and Pennock used their speed to create chances in front of goal but Walsh did well to deny them.

The home side went into the break with a one-goal lead thanks to Smith but it was still all to play for in the second half as Brighton & Hove Albion looked to get back into the game.

After creating chances in the first half, Pennock doubled the Blues’ lead with less than 10 minutes played in the second period, her shot from the edge of the box evaded the gloves of Walsh to find the back of the net. With the home side in control of the tie, the visitors became desperate to find a way back.

They were eventually rewarded but Birmingham City were on hand to spoil the party. Lee Guem-min brought her side back into the game before Lucy Quinn slotted the ball home with acres of space in the box just minutes later to make it 3-1.

Brighton & Hove Albion struggled to control the pace of the Blues, especially in the final third. They had a fair few chances but were unable to put anything away.

In the dying minutes of the game, The Seagulls were awarded a penalty following a hand ball in the box. Danielle Carter stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way to reduce the deficit to one.

Birmingham City took all three points in this Group C fixture and both teams will now face West Ham United and London City Lionesses later in the year to determine who will qualify from the group.

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Louise Golby

Football Journalism student at University of Derby. Content creator for FAWSL Full-Time Magazine

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