Despite a first-minute strike from Bailey Cadamarteri, City were defeated for the second time in the league this season against Birmingham City.
City started in perfect fashion as, after 33 seconds, Bailey Cadamateri poked the Imps into the lead, following Tom Hamer’s long throw, which was flicked on by captain Paudie O’Connor.
The Imps’ excellent start continued as a series of long throws kept the visitors firmly camped in their own half. Hamer himself had a header loop just wide after 10 minutes.
Birmingham levelled the score after 14 minutes, as Keshi Anderson’s left-footed strike rolled into a bottom corner. Blues striker Alfie May had a fizzing shot well blocked at the back post, as the visitors looked to capitalise on their heavy amounts of possession.
May wasn’t finished there as he had an effort from more than 20 yards swerve onto the post, and away to safety for the Imps, in the last meaningful action of a frantic first half.
City started the second half brightly with the energetic Dom Jeffries teasing Birmingham captain Christoph Klarer into a challenge he was then booked for after 47 minutes.
Klarer’s team-mate Alex Cochrane joined him in referee Simon Mather’s book for a crunching tackle on Conor McGrandles moments later.
The visitors took the lead on 52 minutes when Islandic international Willum Willumsson found the bottom corner from the edge of the box after May nodded the ball down to the midfielder.
Head coach Michael Skubala introduced Erik Ring, Freddie Draper and Ethan Hamilton into the action in a bid to get on level terms with half an hour to play.
Substitute Erik Ring was immediately in the thick of things as his bursting run down the right and cross into the box was not met by a red shirt in the middle.
The Imps reacted well to going a goal down, as Darikwa had a headed effort loop over Ryan Allsop’s crossbar, while Ring did well to burst through the Birmingham midfield, before his effort was straight at the Blues’ keeper.
Reeco Hackett made a Sincil Bank return on 70 minutes, replacing striker Ben House.
A minute later and the Imps had a penalty, after midfielder Conor McGrandles was tripped from behind. Referee Mather took his time before pointing to the spot.
Hackett stepped up, before seeing his shot palmed away by Allsop, in front of the Birmingham faithful. Draper’s follow up was blocked by a sliding defender and away for a corner.
The Blues rounded off the scoring with a little over ten minuets to play. Yokoyama’s pullback from the right was flicked by Willumsson into the path of an on-rushing Anderson. His curling effort from inside the box flew past goalkeeper George Wickens in the City net.
The Imps battled on, with Hackett having a half-volley deflected over the bar, as the game petered out to a close.
City: Wickens, Darikwa, O’Connor, Hamer, Rougham, Jeffries, McGrandles, Erhahon, Moylan, House, Cadamateri. Unused subs: Pardington, McKiernan
Goals: Cadamateri (1’)
Blues: Allsop, Klarer, Cochrane, Davies, Gardner-Hickman, Iwata, Paik, Hansson, Willumsson, Anderson, May Unused subs: Peacock-Farrell, Sanderson, Sampsted
Goals: Anderson (14’, 79’), Willumsson (52’)
Referee: Simon Mather