Huddersfield Town show they have the tools to stay in the Championship with 3-0 win over Birmingham City

On Tuesday night Danny and Nicky Cowley were shifting uncomfortably in their Elland Road seats as they watched bottom-of-the-table Luton Town take a point off the leaders and move within two of Huddersfield Town. Barnsley had already won, in-form Wigan Athletic were cruising and the Terriers were in the relegation zone, without a win since February.

Twenty-four hours and a 3-0 victory later, Huddersfield are 19th in the table, effectively 18th. With goals for the attacking players, a clean sheet and two Harry Toffolo assists, it was a great day for the Terriers.

Even with the luxury of Karlan Grant having a penalty saved – he had already beaten Lee Camp once from the spot – Huddersfield powered to a second-half win.

When Town play football like this, you wonder what on earth they are even doing in a relegation battle – well, you would if you were lucky enough to have blanked the first couple of months of the season out of your mind.

They had a good result even before kick-off with the news that Wigan have gone into administration, condemning them to a 12-point deduction which makes them likely to take one of the relegation spots despite their excellent start to the restart. In the dog-eat-dog world of a relegation battle, on team's misfortune is another's delight – or at least relief. Their win was bad news for Hull City and Middlesbrough, who play on Thursday, and Barnsley.

Danny Cowley's team changes saw Grant move back to the left to accommodate Fraizer Campbell's return for his 300th league appearance, and Arsenal's Emile Smith Rowe in the hole. The two youngsters linked extremely well, as they have tended to do in Town's best performances of 2020.

It was Grant who got the reward.

He put a fourth-minute free-kick – won by a Smith Rowe – dribble over the bar, and again missed the target after running onto a lay-off a couple of minutes later.

Richard Stearman was a hugely vocal presence for the Terriers, demanding “seconds” more often than Oliver Twist, but he let his boots do the talking in the 10th minute, cutting out a dangerous cross. Smith Rowe peeled wide to pick it up and carry it up field, sending Toffolo in on the overlap. He played the ball inside for Grant to win the penalty.

Lee Camp got a boot to Grant's spot kick, but could not keep it out. It was just what he and his side deserved.

With Huddersfield reluctant to go for the jugular, Birmingham belatedly took a foothold in the game before the drinks break. The Cowleys made such use of the time-out that referee Robert Jones had to cajole them to restart, and they were soon in another huddle when Campbell went down for treatment.

It was becoming obvious that crosses were Birmingham's best route to goal. Jutkiewicz's first header was comfortable for Jonas Lossl, but he was in an alarming out of space for his next, sneaking between the centre-backs but again missing the target. It was not as if the Terriers had not been warned. Scott Hogan was offside for his effort, but the marking was slack. Gary Gardner headed at Lossl late in the half from a Kristian Pederson delivery.

Huddersfield had been limited to nearly moments by then, Maxime Colin brilliantly tackling Smith Rowe in the penalty area, then Gardner fouling him out wide.

Crucially, Huddersfield doubled their lead early in the second half, just not as early as they ought to have.

Schindler was hauled down in the penalty area six minutes after the restart but this time Camp was able to stretch up his left hand and keep out Grant's penalty. Just 52 seconds later Campbell made the miss less important, though his tidy finish owed much to the quality of Toffolo's curling free-kick.

Birmingham are one of the few Championship teams with little to play for in the run-in – remarkably they did not use a substitute – and it was clear Town had done enough, but that they wanted more. In their position goal difference could be important.

Another Toffolo free-kick, a very deep one, was headed back by substitute Steve Mounie for Elias Kachunga to convert with a diving header.

It might have been four. Camp saved from Lewis O'Brien and Alex Pritchard in the last 15 minutes.

After the despond of the weekend, though, no one could complain at 3-0. The emotions will no doubt take another twist in the coming days, but it is clear Town have the tools to stay in this season's Championship if they can only use them consistently.

Birmingham City: Camp; Colin, Dean, Clarke-Salter, Pedersen; Crowley, Bellingham, Gardner, Bela; Jutkiewicz, Hogan.

Substitutes: Harding, Roberts, Kieftenbeld, Trueman, Sunjic, Boyd-Munce, Burke, Stirk, Reid.

Huddersfield Town: Lossl; Duhaney (Chalobah 83), Stearman, Schindler, Toffolo; Hogg, O'Brien (King 70); Kachunga (Quaner 83), Smith Rowe (Pritchard 70), Grant; Campbell (Mounie 60).

Substitutes: Willock, Coleman, Stankovic, Daly.

Referee: Robert Jones (Merseyside)

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