Melee breaks out with 5 players shown yellow cards for it in Bolton’s 3-1 win over Birmingham

A melee breaks out with 5 players shown yellow cards for it in Bolton’s 3-1 win over league leaders Birmingham on Tuesday night.

Osei-Tutu wins a throw near the corner flag and then some players lose their cool. Eventually, after being separated, it all settled down and there were bookings for Johnston, Osei-Tutu, Forino, Harris and Klarer.

Take a look at the fan footage of it below, just click play…

Birmingham suffered a first League One defeat in 19 games with a Bolton side chasing a playoff place coming from behind to beat the Blues 3-1 at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

Emil Hansson netted his first league goal to put Birmingham in front on the 23rd minute, but six minutes before half-time, Bolton hit back against the run of play when John McAtee sent a low shot past Bailey Peacock-Farrell. McAtee also had another effort disallowed for offside just before the break.

George Thomason put Steven Schumacher’s side ahead on 49 minutes, then top scorer Aaron Collins grabbed his 16th goal thanks to substitute Joel Randall’s assist on the 71st minute.

23′ Emil Hansson scores
39′ John McAtee scores
49′ George Thomason scores
49′ Taylor Gardner-Hickman cautioned
53′ John McAtee cautioned
56′ Alfons Sampsted replaced Taylor Gardner-Hickman
56′ Luke Harris replaced Emil Hansson
61′ Aaron Morley cautioned
67′ Jay Stansfield replaced Kieran Dowell
68′ Lukas Jutkiewicz replaced A. May
69’J. Randall replaced Carlos Mendes Gomes
71′ Lewis Collins scores
80′ Krystian Bielik replaced Tomoki Iwata
90+1′ Jay Matete replaced George Thomason
90+1′ Josh Sheehan replaced Aaron Morley
90+8′ George Johnston cautioned
90+8′ Jordi Osei-Tutu cautioned
90+8′ Luke Harris cautioned
90+9′ Christian Forino Joseph cautioned
90+9′ Christoph Klarer cautioned

Birmingham’s Chris Davies said: “I thought we started the first half really well,” he said. “I thought we were good, we got control of the match, scored a good goal and I liked us.

“But then we conceded a really poor goal just before half-time which gave them a lot of belief and momentum really.

“The second half, we started far too slowly, and sloppy, and it was uncharacteristic from how we have been.

“It’s a difficult place to come at the best of times but that start to the second half is what really cost us because to go a goal down, and then two goals down, made it too much of a mountain to climb.

“I think there was a combination of things; good opposition, a little bit of tiredness crept in to a few players naturally after the amount of games they have played, and we just weren’t quite there and the level wasn’t quite there.

“And if the level isn’t quite there, both as a team and individually, then you’ll get punished and that’s what we got tonight.

“But I said to the players, I’m not going to berate them too much. I’ve told them that the level wasn’t good enough tonight and they are fully aware of that, and they are hurting.”

Bolton’s Steven Schumacher said: “Against the best team in the division by probably a long way, so yeah, it is probably the best night.

“The second half as well, it’s probably the best we’ve played since we’ve been here. It was a really good performance.

“We said to the players at half-time, again, credit to coming back and showing some character. The way we were passing the ball, not too many teams have done that against these this season. So I said to the lads at half-time, be positive and go for it and who knows? And in the second half they were outstanding – everyone.

“We come up against some good teams in this division, and if you stand off them and admire them and say how good they are, then they’re going to win the game. Sometimes you get it wrong, sometimes you get your press wrong, but if you go and be brave and you go and take the game to them, then you’re in with a chance. Thankfully today we’ve come out on the right end of the result.”

“We want that to keep growing, we want the momentum to keep building and the belief in themselves. I keep saying to the lads that they’re a good team and if they work as hard as we worked tonight for the next 12 games then we’ll be OK, because we’ve got some quality.

“But it’s no good just relying on quality, you’ve got to have the effort, you’ve got to have the industry, and that’s what we had today.

“It was a whole team performance and sometimes we had to struggle. Let’s have it right, for the first 20 minutes of the game Birmingham were outstanding. But we managed to stick in there and stay with them and, in the end I think we got the result that we deserved.

“We can’t deny it’s been a great night. It’s a brilliant win against the best team in the division. But we don’t want it to be our best night of the season, there’s still hopefully better ones to come.”

Keith Hill (Former Bolton and Barnsley boss on BBC Radio Manchester): “I am reluctant to suggest this, but this is a statement win from Bolton Wanderers.

“They are a big club and they have been playing like a big club.

“Birmingham have come back with nothing to offer.

“Making Birmingham look pretty average, especially in front of goal, was tremendous from Bolton.

“But now Bolton become that scalp again.

“That game against Burton will be a difficult fixture now as people will expect them to win it.”

Jack Dearden (BBC Radio Manchester commentator): “A blistering second half performance did the trick, what an amazing night for Bolton.”