Che Adams sends Birmingham City message after declining to celebrate Southampton goal
Birmingham City were beaten 4-3 at home by Southampton, with their former favourite scoring one of the goals
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Birmingham City were beaten 4-3 at home by Southampton, with their former favourite scoring one of the goals
Che Adams thanked Birmingham City supporters for the reception they afforded him on his first return to St Andrew’s.
The striker scored the third of Southampton’s four goals in their dramatic 4-3 victory against his former club – his 12th of the season which contributed to a result that enabled his team to make up ground on league leaders Leicester City.
However, for all that Adams did not celebrate his 59th minute strike, a show of respect to fans who backed him during his three-season stay at the club.
Adams arrived at Blues as unproven potential in the summer of 2016, he left three years later having become the first Birmingham City player in more than 20 years to score 20-plus goals and as part of a £15million deal that took him to St Mary’s.
He took to social media at the end of the game and showed his gratitude: “Special feeling coming back to St Andrews this afternoon. Thank you for the warm welcome back! Amazing away support pushed us through, keep believing!”
Southampton are now fourth, five points behind the automatic promotion places, while Blues are now just two points above the bottom three, and out of the relegation zone on goal-difference alone.
It was their defensive issues that cost them against Adams and his team-mates. Koji Miyoshi put the hosts one-up before Adam Armstrong equalised. Jay Stansfield restored Blues’ lead but David Brookes levelled with Adams striking four minutes later. Juninho Bacuna thought he had given his team a share of the spoils only for Joe Aribo to snatch the points.