Birmingham City star player gave Watford a 1-0 win at St Andrew’s.

Alex Dicken’s Birmingham City player ratings after Emanuel Aiwu’s mistake gave Watford victory

Birmingham City are hovering above the relegation zone on goal difference after Emanuel Aiwu’s error gave Watford a 1-0 win at St Andrew’s.

Aiwu let Emmanuel Dennis score just before half-time and the Blues did not recover. The Blues have lost five of their six games since Tony Mowbray stepped aside for medical treatment.

All the pressure was on the Blues and the team got off to a good start. Juninho Bacuna’s corner kick was intercepted by Ethan Laird and hit the crossbar. The Blues opened up Watford on the left with a typically powerful run from Jordan James. James passed the ball to Bacuna, who fired the ball into the goal, but Ryan Porteus managed to parry it to prevent the net from bulging.
Watford were dangerous in transition and Ismael Kone would have faced John Ruddy one-on-one if not for Aiwu’s recovery speed and perfectly timed challenge. The Blues were also lucky when Dennis failed to connect cleanly with Ryan Andrews’ cross just after the half-hour mark.

Aiwu had an excellent match until the 44th minute when his mistake cost the Blues dearly. The Austrian defender took possession of the ball on the edge of his own penalty area after a throw-in and Dennis recovered it. The Watford striker dispossessed Aiwu and composed himself before lifting the ball out of Ruddy’s reach.

The Blues collapsed and Dennis would have doubled their lead had it not been for an excellent save from Ruddy in first-half stoppage time. Luckily, the half-time whistle blew before Watford Blues could do any more damage.

Jay Stansfield tried to force his way through the Watford defense shortly after the break, but was unsuccessful. Ivan Sunjic arrived on the spot and avoided two challenges before shooting from 12 yards when he should have scored.

Koji Miyoshi ended a game of pinball in the Watford penalty area just after the hour mark by firing a shot into the goal. St Andrew’s were eager to celebrate, but Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann produced a solid two-handed save to keep Miyoshi at bay.

Tyler Roberts replaced Miyoshi for the final 17 minutes and had the Blues’ best view of the goal for the rest of the game. A quick move forward saw Roberts enter the Watford penalty area, but his tame attempt was saved by Bachmann. Defeat wasn’t what the Blues wanted or needed, but they will spend the international break outside the relegation zone on goal difference after Huddersfield Town failed to beat Rotherham.