Birmingham City booked their place in the FA Cup fifth round with a dramatic penalty shootout win over Coventry City in their fourth-round replay.
Birmingham captain Harlee Dean scored the winning penalty for the Blues who now travel to Leicester in the next round between 3-5 March.
Dean’s stoppage-time header had earlier levelled Amadou Bakayoko’s opener.
Maxime Biamou restored the League One side’s lead in extra time before Jeremie Bela’s goal ensured penalties.
Ironically, despite grandstand finishes in both normal and extra time, the game initially mirrored the 0-0 draw between the sides on 25 January.
A goalless first half was marred by an injury to Blues midfielder Josh McEachran, who was taken off on a stretcher after appearing to land awkwardly following a challenge.
And it wasn’t until Bakayoko’s goal – a right-foot effort that looped off Blues goalkeeper Lee Camp and bounced over the goalline – that the contest sparked into life.
Biamou twice missed chances to double Coventry’s lead and the 1987 winners, who are groundsharing at St Andrew’s this season, appeared good value to progress.
However, Dean headed in Jacques Maghoma’s right-wing cross to equalise and Lukas Jutkiewicz headed against the Coventry crossbar with the final touch in normal time.
Biamou – who scored in the Sky Blues’ second and third-round replay wins over Ipswich and Bristol Rovers – turned in Callum O’Hare’s cross from the right to again put Mark Robins’ side ahead.
But Jamie Allen and Liam Walsh both missed for them in the shootout, which arrived courtesy of Bela’s long-range effort.
Birmingham head coach Pep Clotet: “Coventry made it very difficult for us and we struggled to create flow in attack but one thing we had was the ability to work harder to the end, believe in ourselves and take the game to a penalty shootout.
“We are very happy it went in our favour. It was a fantastic night. It turned out well after eight years of us not being able to get into the fifth round but we managed it.”
Coventry City manager Mark Robins: “I’m proud of the players, they’ve come out on the wrong side of a result and we had three good chances to put the game to bed in normal time that we didn’t take which means you always run the risk.
“They had two crosses, they pushed Harlee Dean up front to try and get a goal, which they did, right at the death, in normal time, and then to concede with 30 seconds left on the clock in extra time was poor from us.”
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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