The Independent
McLeish hails Birmingham's delicious duo
Bookmakers are never the most benevolent of folk but at the start of this season it is safe to assume that the odds on Birmingham City being not only Europa League contenders, but also a promising FA Cup side, were decidedly generous. Not any more.
The Guardian
Everton made to suffer by the other Benítez
Benítez: the name has inspired agonised conversation all season on the red side of Stanley Park. This time the suffering was Everton's. It fell to Christian Benítez, Birmingham's Ecuadorian striker, to heap further misery upon Merseyside as he gave early warning that its FA Cup campaign was about to come to grief.
The Times
Birmingham beat Everton and continue to defy critics
How swiftly expectation can turn to desperation. Everton, buoyed by recent fortunes, and with two FA Cup principals eliminated, were already contemplating Wembley. Instead they “went missing from the start”, according to their manager, David Moyes, and never truly recovered.