Blackburn R 2 Birmingham City 1:THERE WAS a time when pundits predicted that England's 2010 World Cup campaign would be constructed around David Dunn's vision and creativity.
Those days are long gone but, as Birmingham City discovered to their cost, the Blackburn midfielder is far from a spent force.
It only took five minutes for Dunn to score the first of his two goals. When a long forward punt was controlled superbly on the chest by Nikola Kalinic, Dunn accelerated into the area before half-volleying Kalinic’s ball beyond Joe Hart with his left foot.
The visitors equalised through James McFadden. When Birmingham won a free-kick just outside the area following Morten Gamst Pedersen’s foul on Rogeer Johnson it seemed ideally positioned for delivery by the forward’s left foot. And a swipe of that boot from McFadden sent the ball arcing over Blackburn’s non-existent wall before dropping perfectly into the far bottom corner.
Apparently transfixed, Jason Brown did not move, remaining rooted to his line at the near post.
A gauntlet had been thrown down and, when El Hadji Diouf whipped in a corner, Dunn threw himself forward to head beyond Joe Hart from close range.
BLACKBURN: Brown, Salgado, Samba, Jones, Olsson, Nzonzi, Andrews, Pedersen, Dunn (Emerton 87), Diouf (Hoilett 69), Kalinic (Roberts 46). Subs Not Used: Bunn, Nelsen, Di Santo, Chimbonda. Booked: Dunn, Andrews.
BIRMINGHAM: Hart, Carr, Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell, Gardner (Larsson 74), Bowyer, Ferguson, Fahey (Phillips 79), McFadden, Jerome (Benitez 73). Subs Not Used: Taylor, Michel, Parnaby, Vignal. Booked: Carr.
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne and Wear)
