Birmingham City dismantled Wrexham 3-1 on Monday night in front of Tom Brady and David Beckham

Birmingham City players celebrate Tomoki Iwata’s goal against Wrexham

Birmingham City finally showed their teeth in the League One promotion race – after Wrexham striker Paul Mullin insisted he didn’t show his to Alex Cochrane.

Melee aside, or ‘nonsense’ as Blues manager Chris Davies put it post-match, Blues came from behind to beat Wrexham 3-1 in convincing fashion. Record signing Jay Stansfield was at the double and Tomoki Iwata added the third on his league debut for Blues.

Blues moved up to second in the League One table, level on points with leaders Wrexham having played a game less. It was a performance to match all the razzmatazz in the stands where former England captain David Beckham was seated alongside NFL icon Tom Brady.

Here are our findings from a memorable night at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park…

Lift off, at last

Davies dubbed it Blues’ best performance of the season and it’s hard to disagree with him. Once the nerves had settled in the opening 10 minutes, Blues took complete control.

It is easy to disagree with Davies’ opposite number Phil Parkinson who thought they were dominant before Blues’ equaliser. The statistics don’t lie in this case and Blues, with 68 percent of the ball and twice as many shots on target as Wrexham, thoroughly deserved their three points.

We finally got the performance that Blues’ quality has been threatening.

Two negatives

It wasn’t perfect. Bailey Peacock-Farrell should have done better for Jack Marriott’s opening goal. The goalkeeper has come in for criticism due to errors against Leyton Orient and Wigan and he did little to silence his doubters. Peacock-Farrell flapped at a right-wing corner and Marriott punished him with a clinical finish.

Rotherham boss Steve Evans was watching and you can guarantee an aerial bombardment awaits Peacock-Farrell at the New York Stadium. With the capable Ryan Allsop waiting in the wings, Peacock-Farrell has to improve.

Peacock-Farrell’s cause won’t be helped by Krystian Bielik’s suspension. A rush of blood saw Bielik dismissed for two quickfire yellow cards late on and he will now miss the trip to Rotherham.

Blues will miss his leadership skills but, arguably more importantly, his presence on set pieces. The pressure will be on Peacock-Farrell – if Davies persists with him – Christoph Klarer and Willum Willumsson to command their box in Bielik’s absence.

Birmingham City captain Krystian Bielik was sent off against Wrexham
Bend it like Cochrane

It was quite fitting that we were all left purring over a cross with Beckham in the house. Beckham is arguably the greatest crosser of a ball English football has seen and Blues left-back Alex Cochrane gave his best impression when he curled a ball onto Stansfield’s head for Blues’ second goal.

Cochrane has been asked to perform a defensive role in Blues’ set-up, in and out of possession, meaning we haven’t seen much of his ability going forward. He arrived from Hearts in the summer with a reputation for scoring goals and providing assists, and we have now seen how dangerous he can be in the final third.

Strike it like Iwata

The signing of Stansfield ensured the deadline day arrival of Iwata went under the radar, yet the Japanese midfielder is arguably the most decorated and proven player in the Blues squad. This time last year Iwata was playing in the Champions League with Celtic.

He joined Blues to reach the Premier League and Iwata showed he has what it takes to compete at the top-end of the Championship with a dynamic display against Wrexham. The 27-year-old was defensively dominant and decisive when the chance presented itself in the 59th minute.

We shouldn’t overlook the part Paik Seung-ho played in Iwata’s goal with an exquisite touch. Japan international Iwata and South Korea star Paik dovetailed sublimely.

“I thought he was very solid in there with Paik,” Davies said of Iwata’s performance. “He’s physically strong, keeps it simple, moves it quick, and he stepped in, saw the space in front of him and had a shot. I had a great view of it, it was a hell of a strike.”

It should be easy to sell this in America

On a night where Blues rolled out the blue carpet for the A-Listers, played in front of an American audience and had multiple filmmakers capturing footage, the atmosphere of St Andrew’s was palpable.

All of those watching must have sensed that St Andrew’s is a bit special on nights like this. The rendition of Keep Right On shortly before the players emerged was spine-tingling.

Knighthead want to sell Blues to an American audience and it’s only a matter of time before the club ventures stateside – Tom Wagner and Brady mooted Las Vegas pre-match. The people making a racket in the stands are essential to the product Knighthead are creating.

Beckham, who was arguably the biggest name on a star-studded guest list, should tell his friends over in the States about his St Andrew’s experience.