Ibrahim Osman and Jay Stansfield scored in Birmingham City’s 2-1 win over Leicester City
17:05, 07 Feb 2026Updated 17:20, 07 Feb 2026
Birmingham City players celebrate Jay Stansfield’s winning goal against Leicester
Jay Stansfield’s first goal since November handed Birmingham City a 2-1 victory over 10-man Leicester City at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park.
Stansfield struck the decisive blow in the second half to end his 13-game goal drought and hand Blues their fourth win in six Championship matches.
Ibrahim Osman had given Blues the lead before his compatriot Abdul Fatawu levelled the game for Leicester who saw Bobby De Cordova-Reid sent off in the first half.
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Osman continued his electric start to his Blues career to open the scoring inside three minutes.
The on-loan Brighton winger robbed Leicester captain Ricardo Pereira of the ball and raced away to score his first goal in English football.
Leicester levelled midway through the first half and, unsurprisingly, it arrived via Fatawu’s left foot. Paik Seung-ho could only clear Stephy Mavididi’s cross as far as Fatawu and the Ghanaian winger killed the ball with his first touch and lashed home on the half-volley with a devastating second.
Blues thought they had regained the lead when Phil Neumann headed in Kai Wagner’s free-kick from the left. The flag went up for offside immediately but replays were far from conclusive.
Carlos Vicente, who was making his full debut in place of Patrick Roberts, forced a good save from Asmir Begovic after being found by Stansfield as Blues upped the ante.
Blues’ hopes of victory were given a boost in the 32nd minute when De Cordova-Reid was sent off for a challenge on Osman. The Leicester forward caught Osman with his studs and, despite the Foxes’ protestations, referee John Busby reached for his red card.
Referee John Busby shows a red card to Bobby De Cordova-Reid of Leicester City(Image: Leicester City FC via Getty Imag)
Blues were in the ascendancy before half-time and Leicester retreated. The closest Blues came to taking the lead was a deflected cross from Marvin Ducksch that hit the crossbar in first half stoppage time.
Leicester introduced Harry Winks at half-time and operated in a 4-3-2 shape designed to concede space out wide and invite crosses that would be food and drink for centre-backs Jamaal Lascelles and Ben Nelson.
That was the case until a triple change from Chris Davies just after the hour-mark. Bright Osayi-Samuel, Roberts and Tommy Doyle were brought on, with Roberts and Doyle’s arrivals designed to give Blues more poise in possession.
It was Roberts who fed Ducksch to play an inch-perfect pass to Stansfield that the striker squeezed home in the 67th minute to restore Blues’ lead.
Leicester couldn’t offer up much in response after Stansfield’s strike as Blues cruised to another three points to strengthen their position in the Championship play-off race.
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James Beadle 6.5
Beadle commanded his penalty area and got Blues moving forward quickly in the second half with sharp distribution.
Tomoki Iwata 7
Iwata started the game at right-back, drifting into midfield and at times into attack, before moving to centre-back when Neumann went off.
Phil Neumann 7
Neumann defended well in the main, as he has done consistently since the turn of the year, before an injury forced him off in the second half.
Christoph Klarer 8
Blues were boosted by Klarer’s availability with the Austrian due to become a dad imminently and he produced a typically no-nonsense display. Klarer used the ball well and always seemed to find a teammate.
Abdul Fatawu of Leicester City in action with Christoph Klarer of Birmingham City(Image: Leicester City FC via Getty Imag)
Kai Wagner 7.5
The left-back could end up being pound-for-pound the best signing Blues made in January. Wagner’s crosses have given Blues a new weapon.
Jhon Solis 7.5
The Colombian midfielder is already a firm favourite with Bluenoses. Solis won his tackles, evaded Leicester’s press with tidy footwork and orchestrated attacks.
Paik Seung-ho 7.5
After an indifferent season, Paik has found some form of late and played well again in midfield next to Solis. The South Korean dictated Blues’ play in the second half.
Carlos Vicente 7
There was one exquisite touch in the first half that wowed St Andrew’s on a full debut that provided plenty of promise. Vicente made lots of good runs that went unnoticed by his teammates but that should improve with games together.
Marvin Ducksch 7
This was a game where Ducksch wasn’t at his best, yet he popped up with a brilliant assist for Stansfield to maintain his impressive record since the turn of the year. Ducksch can be a frustrating watch at times, but his class is undeniable.
Ibrahim Osman 8*
Osman is really shining on the left flank for Blues. His acceleration and unpredictability is making him a nightmare for right-backs – just ask poor Ricardo Pereira – and exciting those in the stands. Osman took his goal well and carried a threat throughout.
Jay Stansfield 7.5
Stansfield worked his way into numerous goal-scoring positions in the first half but looked like a player who hadn’t scored in 13 games. That changed in the 67th minute, when he latched onto Ducksch’s pass with conviction and finished across Begovic. The striker’s work-rate was exceptional.
SUBS
Bright Osayi-Samuel (for Neumann, 62) 7
Osayi-Samuel looked sharper than he has done in a while for Blues, possibly due to all the minutes he played at the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria. He looked like the player Blues thought they were signing in the summer, which bodes well for the run-in.
Tommy Doyle (for Solis, 62) 7
Doyle added calmness in possession when Blues were trying to probe and open up Leicester’s defence in the second half.
Patrick Roberts (for Vicente, 62) 7
Roberts made a positive impact off the bench in the perfect response to being left out of the starting XI since December 20. Few have been more consistent at St Andrew’s this season than Roberts.
August Priske (for Stansfield, 75) 6.5
His first involvement was a header from a corner that deflected behind and he followed that up by running and working for his new team.
Not used: Allsop, Panzo, Fujimoto, Bateman, Kyogo
Attendance: 27,886
How did you rate the Blues players? Let us know in the comments…