Four goals from home debutant Jesse Lingard have led Birmingham City to a 4-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.
Wednesday created the game's first real opportunity when Michail Antonio cut in from the right before firing a low shot, which was easily saved by Darren Randolph in the Birmingham goal.
The visitors worked the ball well again, this time down the left, where it was crossed for Liam Palmer at the far post, but he scuffed a tame effort wide.
However, despite the run of play, it was the home side who took the lead when Lingard tapped home after Chris Burke's initial shot was saved.
The Blues could have increased their lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the first half when Matt Green got in on goal after Kamil Zayatte misjudged a long ball forward, but Chris Kirkland was out quick to prevent City from going further ahead.
Lee Clark's men did not have to wait too long, though, as Lingard continued to cause problems and he added his second having latched onto a superb pass from Wade Elliott.
Lingard's dream start was then cemented only a few minutes later when he completed a first-half hat-trick.
He was back into the action straight after the interval, grabbing his fourth following great work from Chris Burke, which allowed the Manchester United loanee to score from 12 yards out.
Wednesday did manage to grab one back, however, when Zayatte headed home Stephen McPhail's free kick to bring the score to 4-1.
The visitors tried to pull another back but were denied when Randolph tipped over a fine effort from distance by Jermaine Johnson, leaving his side to complete a 4-1 victory.
Christopher Dodd
