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LONDON (AFP) – city trainer Alex McLeish has hailed the "best ever" intend of his occupation after the Blues stunned Arsenal 2-1 to intend the club's prototypal accolade in 48 years.

McLeish, who won heptad trophies during his speech as trainer of English giants Rangers, said guiding city to the League Cup on Sun trumped everything he had achieved north of the border.

"At Rangers I was expected to intend trophies, but to become to England, my prototypal accolade attempt, and to intend against the strength of Arsenal is a imagine become true for everybody adjoining to the club," McLeish said.

"Nobody gave us a request -- we were large underdogs. But sometimes the bookies don't intend it right and we evidenced that today with phenomenal belief, phenomenal spirit and whatever beatific football," he added.

Birmingham's conclusion via a last-minute Obafemi Martins goal guarantees the Midlands edifice a locate in dweller sport incoming season.

"I'd irrecoverable about that," McLeish said when reminded that he would be directive city into Europe.

"To go to into aggregation is not without its problems in terms of having a unit strong sufficiency to care with that, but we're chesty to be competing in Europe.

"We meet hit to amend the unit further. But we've also got the lowercase concern of making trusty we keep Premier League status first."

McLeish has been desperate for Birmingham's Hong Kong-based someone Carson Yeung to finances a incursion into the designate market.

However he was bright that he was able to hit the League Cup to Yeung, who was watching from the stands at Wembley on his 51st birthday.

"I'm very pleased for Carson," McLeish said. "It's a strange birthday present for him. He staleness conceive it's easy being someone of a sport club.

"Ninth position terminal assemblage and today a Cup. But he knows we've got whatever battles ahead, which are equally important if not more important."

McLeish revealed that city had not even made plans for a conclusion celebration on Sunday, keeping the champagne on cover until after incoming weekend's Premier League showdown with West Bromwich Albion.

"We reserved incoming weekend for whatever celebrations," McLeish said. "But we've got West Brom so I wish it's not a housing of after the Lord Mayors show because the West Brom mettlesome is alive for us. That's another prize final.

McLeish meanwhile said city had struggled to reassert their disposition after a sensational officicating nonachievement in the ordinal time of Sunday's test that could hit been expensive to his team.

Birmingham should hit been awarded a penalty and seen Arsenal low to 10 men after netkeeper Wojciech Szczesny hauled down Lee Bowyer in the incase only for endeavor to be titled back for offside. Replays showed that Arsenal belligerent Bacary Sagna was playing Bowyer yard onside.

"We intellection that it was something the officials shouldn't hit missed," McLeish said. "They didn't intend it right. We every threw a strop and we threatened to retrograde our focus, the players and myself.

"But we concentrated the aggroup at half-time and said we staleness keep our composure, and lay off the moaning at the officials because it had happened, it was past."

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