Birmingham City beat Millwall 3-0 at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park on Tuesday, 3 November, with all three goals arriving inside the opening half-hour.
Alex Cochrane struck in the first minute, Max Bird added the second and Jay Stansfield completed the scoring before the break. Blues then protected their advantage to record a third successive home victory.
Cochrane provides an immediate lead
The breakthrough came almost straight from kick-off. A loose ball reached Cochrane outside the penalty area and the left-back fired low past Max Crocombe, following his goal at Lincoln with another important contribution.
Millwall had an opportunity to respond when Caleb Taylor’s header forced Ryan Allsop into a save. Kyrell Lisbie sent the rebound over, and Birmingham soon extended their lead instead.
Bird and Stansfield put Blues in control
Bird scored in the 16th minute after advancing with the ball and finding the net with his left foot. It was his first Birmingham goal following his summer arrival.
The midfielder also helped create the third, supplying Stansfield on a counter-attack. The forward drove towards the defence, moved inside and finished into the bottom corner in the 29th minute.
That left Millwall three goals behind before the interval. Chances for the visitors had not produced a reply, while Birmingham had converted the opportunities that shaped the contest.
Allsop and Blues preserve the clean sheet
There were further chances after half-time, with Stansfield and Patrick Roberts both testing Crocombe. Carlos Vicente later struck the inside of a post after coming off the bench.
Millwall also hit the woodwork through Camiel Neghli, but could not reduce the deficit. Allsop finished with a clean sheet as Birmingham secured the points without needing another goal.
The official club report details the three first-half finishes and the subsequent chances.
Following Saturday’s 3-1 win at Lincoln, this was another convincing result for Chris Davies’ side, combining an early attacking burst with a goalless second half for the opposition