Joe Willock doubles up as Newcastle edge out Birmingham in thriller

A wet evening, a slick pitch and two committed teams and suddenly the FA Cup doesn’t seem in quite such a troubled state. This was a remarkable tie, played at remarkable pace, stuffed with incident and endeavour, and illuminated by a stunning goal from Tomoki Iwata. The Japan international’s strike was not enough to prevent Newcastle reaching the fifth round, but it was the highlight of a performance from which Birmingham will draw not merely a lot of pride but also encouragement that they will be able to cope at the higher level if they go up to the Championship.

The weather was ideal for the fourth round of the Cup, a thick veil of drizzle casting everything in an appropriately nostalgic soft focus. Although promotion is clearly the priority for Birmingham, this was a game that mattered, something clear from the dozen or so lads in Burberry caps and scarves outside New Street station chanting unconvincingly about much how they hate Geordies to the pre-match light show featuring the local rapper Jaykae.

Not surprisingly, after the euphoria of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Arsenal, Eddie Howe made nine changes to the Newcastle lineup, only Dan Burn and Bruno Guimarães starting both games.

It didn’t take long for any lingering sense of well-being to evaporate, as Birmingham took the lead within 43 seconds, Ethan Laird lashing in via Callum Wilson’s boot after Kieran Dowell’s corner had been headed back across goal by Keshi Anderson.

Having overseen relegation in their first season, the consortium headed by Tom Wagner and fronted by Tom Brady that owns Birmingham has invested heavily in an attempt to secure a return to the Championship, spending £30m this season, around half of that on bringing in Jay Stansfield from Fulham.

Birmingham’s strength as they’ve climbed to the top of League One has been their defence, with just four goals conceded in their previous 13 games, but it was the attacking side of their play that caught the eye before half-time. Scott Wright was a persistent threat driving infield from the right, while another well-worked set-play forced Nick Pope into a stretching save away to his right to keep out Anderson’s volley.

Having got away with that, though, Newcastle’s greater quality began to impose itself, largely through the direct running of the 21-year-old Dane William Osula on the right, and they were ahead by the 26th minute.

Tomoki Iwata (left) scores a spectacular second goal for Birmingham.. Photograph: Bradley Collyer/PA

First, the linesman Nigel Lugg, a former warehouse operations manager from Croydon, ruled Bailey Peacock-Farrell had not quite made an astonishing save to keep out Joe Willock’s close-range shot then, four minutes later, Wilson nudged in from even closer range after Osula, two yards out in front of an open goal, had somehow smacked the ball into the back of his standing leg.

Birmingham, to their enormous credit, did not wilt, even as the game was increasingly played in their half. Stansfield had already headed wide from a promising position when Iwata, running on to a bouncing clearance and smacking a first-time shot into the top corner from 25 yards. Only the stoniest of hearts would point out that as the ball flashed past Laird he was in an offside position. Such is life without VAR and goalline technology.

Drizzle turned to rain but the only reason the pace relented early in the second half was a couple of injuries that forced off both Burn and Marc Leonard. Burn at least could hobble off with what appeared to be a groin problem, although he must be a doubt for next month’s Carabao Cup final, but Leonard required a stretcher after his slide for the ball took his knee into the studs of Lewis Miley.

Newcastle never looked entirely comfortable, but ultimately they did find the winner, Willock pouncing to drill Sean Longstaff’s cross-cum-shot between the legs of Peacock-Farrell after 82 minutes. Birmingham, perhaps, had just begun to tire, and while Willock’s run was not picked up, that does not at all detract from the quickness of the instincts or the sharpness of the finish. It wasn’t Newcastle’s best performance but given the changes it was never likely to be: this was about getting the job done – and they did that.