Defensive woes and happy Tan – Wrexham v Cardiff talking points

Cardiff City’s pursuit of the Welsh championship’s title title ended Wrexham’s EFL Cup dream, making it possible for them to reach the quarter-finals of the competition this year.

The League One side, who are now eagerly awaiting the outcome of Wednesday night’s final eight draw, scored from Yousef Salech and Will Fish’s header on either side of Kieffer Moore’s header.

Cardiff have been the League One team with the most possession possession this season.

And they made no mistake about sticking with that pattern because they knew Wrexham was firmly in the north of North Wales from the beginning.

The Bluebirds had only had 62% of the ball when the Bluebirds and Bolton Wanderers met only three days prior, but they still managed to score one shot against the Trotters.

However, they were a constant threat throughout the entire first half.

In reality, they should have been much more at ease heading into the break, but Barry-Murphy will find Cardiff’s dramatic improvement in attack at Wrexham to be very positive given how blunt they were against Bolton.

Will Fish’s winner, which came from Callum Burton, may have been better, but Joel Bagan’s superb delivery and contact with the ball made him smile.

Kieffer Moore once more demonstrated why he is so crucial to Phil Parkinson, despite the fact that he may have ended up on the losing side.

After coming off the bench to help Wrexham come back into the game seven minutes after heading against the crossbar from close range in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough.

If Ryan Longman had been able to steer Ryan Longman’s cutback, the 33-year-old could have significantly increased his total.

After the full-time whistle was blown, the Cardiff faithful erupted in a mockery of the towering frontman, who had scored 25 goals in 66 appearances for the Bluebirds during his two-year tenure with the club.

However, his impact once more demonstrated why Parkinson was eager to sign the Sheffield United striker for the summer.

With a superb header from Kieffer, Parkinson expressed his satisfaction.

Before the kick-off, Brian Barry-Murphy and Ruben Colwill made a statement about how they wanted Cardiff to demonstrate their ability to defeat Championship rivals.

And they went far beyond just battling off against their Welsh foes.

The Bluebirds took control of the opening half for the majority of the game, adding an additional attacking threat.

The Bluebirds regrouped admirably and created more chances even after a brief slog when Moore equalized for the hosts, and Will Fish successfully took control of setting up his Cardiff account.

“Our players believe we can get to that level for sure, and that’s our intention this season,” Barry-Murphy told Wales’ BBC Sport.

“To put ourselves in a game like this against a team who has been so impressive recently was a real test for us because we never know how it will turn out,” said one player. “To perform in the manner that we did gives us great hope for the future.”

Before the contest, there was some discussion about who owned which two clubs.

After south trumped north, Vincent Tan will have a beaming smile on his face rather than Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the Hollywood duo.

And Barry-Murphy acknowledged that Tan, the owner of Bluebirds, will be incredibly happy after seeing his team triumph over Parkinson’s men.

The Irishman predicted that the owner will be very pleased tonight because we have a very demanding owner who insists that we have more shots.

Rubin Colwill was Cardiff’s best attacking play, as has been the case numerous times this season.

Colwill Sr, who had a crucial part in his team’s opener, had the absolute worst chance of not crashing into himself from a free kick.

However, the 23-year-old put on a stunning display, finishing the match with six crucial passes, more than any other player on the field.

He won the player of the match award for his efforts, and he will undoubtedly have attracted the attention of Wales boss Craig Bellamy.

“Our press was fantastic from the beginning.” We are aware of what we can do, Rubin Colwill told Sky Sports.

Wrexham’s week is getting worse when they play Championship rival Coventry City on Friday night at 8:00 GMT.

Haji Wright and Brandon Thomas-Asante, both of whom are known for their defensive concerns, will be happy to hear about them.

When Frank Lampard brings his table toppers to Stok Cae Ras, Callum Doyle will serve the final game of his three-game suspension.

Additionally, Parkinson will not be able to call on Lewis Brunt, who has been forced to miss around 12 weeks due to a thigh injury he underwent surgery on.

George Thomason was substituted at left-back against Cardiff due to the issues, and Conor Coady, a summer signing, made his first appearance in six weeks.