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Birmingham logo
Championship | Gameweek 32
Feb 23, 2021 at 7pm UK
St. Andrew's Stadium
Norwich logo

Birmingham
1 - 3
Norwich

Sanchez (39')
Hogan (68'), Clarke-Salter (84')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Pukki (26', 76'), Skipp (90+5')
Zimmermann (19'), Vrancic (62')

Birmingham 1-3 Norwich: Pukki bags brace as Canaries go 10 points clear

The Finnish striker also saw his penalty saved in the 3-1 victory.

Teemu Pukki scored twice to put Norwich 10 points clear at the top of the Sky Bet Championship as the leaders beat Birmingham 3-1 at St. Andrew's.

Pukki also missed a penalty before Ivan Sanchez's equaliser for the home side.

The Finnish striker had the last laugh with a second and his 17th goal of the season and sixth in his last four games to send the Canaries 10 points clear of Brentford and Watford before they play on Wednesday.

Oliver Skipp made it 3-1 with virtually the last kick.

Norwich showed the quality of their finishing after Birmingham – with the worst home record in the Championship – had numerous opportunities to have taken something from the game.

In a superb first half of attacking football, Birmingham made the better start and wasted a golden chance to take the lead inside the first two minutes.

Jeremie Bela's free-kick reached the unmarked Gary Gardner six yards out but the midfielder missed it completely.

Ivan Sunjic ballooned a curling effort high over the bar from 20 yards as Birmingham remained on top.

But Norwich forced the first save when goalkeeper Neil Etheridge darted from his line to smother from the clean-through Kenny McLean.

A header from Gardner from Sanchez's corner was scrambled behind by Norwich before the visitors took the lead against the run of play in the 26th minute.

In a high-speed move down the left, Dimitris Giannoulis played in McLean, who touched to Pukki for a powerful finish that gave Etheridge no chance.

A big moment came in the 35th minute – with Pukki and Etheridge again the centre of attention.

The Birmingham keeper dived at Pukki's feet after Mario Vrancic put him through only to bring down Todd Cantwell for a penalty.

Etheridge however saved his blushes by saving Pukki's spot-kick with his right foot as he dived left.

Blues deservedly levelled in the 39th minute – after Christoph Zimmermann failed to clear his lines.

Sanchez bundled the ball home at the second attempt with Grant Hanley slow to react after goalkeeper Tim Krul saved the winger's first shot when Gardner squared.

After the break, Bela and Gardner saw shots saved and fly wide respectively while Emiliano Buendia's long-range header was held by Etheridge, who came out to deny clean-through Pukki with his feet.

Pukki tapped home in the 76th minute after Buendia's shot hit Harlee Dean and rebounded into his path.

Skipp tapped home in the fifth minute of time added on after Lukas Rupp ran 70 yards on the breakaway.

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Norwich City's Teemu Pukki celebrates scoring their first goal on February 20, 2021
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CLeicester CityLeicester463141189414897
3Leeds UnitedLeeds462791081433890
4Southampton462691187632487
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom4621121370472375
6Norwich CityNorwich4621101579641573
7Hull City461913146860870
8Middlesbrough46209177162969
9Coventry CityCoventry4617131670591164
10Preston North EndPreston46189195667-1163
11Bristol City461711185351262
12Cardiff CityCardiff46195225370-1762
13Millwall461611194555-1059
14Swansea CitySwansea461512195965-657
15Watford461317166161056
16Sunderland46168225254-256
17Stoke CityStoke461511204960-1156
18Queens Park RangersQPR461511204758-1156
19Blackburn RoversBlackburn461411216074-1453
20Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds46158234468-2453
21Plymouth ArgylePlymouth461312215970-1151
RBirmingham CityBirmingham461311225065-1550
RHuddersfield TownHuddersfield46918194877-2945
RRotherham UnitedRotherham46512293789-5227


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