On his return to first-team action, Murphy scored the opening goal as Birmingham beat Rochdale in the second round of the League Cup in August 2010. He was an unused substitute as Birmingham went on to win the competition, defeating favourites Arsenal 2–1 in the final. Murphy made his first appearance of the 2011–12 season in the Europa League play-off round first leg against Portuguese club Nacional, the first time that Birmingham had participated in major European competition for nearly 50 years. He scored Birmingham's first goal as they beat Club Brugge 2–1 away in the Europa League group stage. He became a first-team regular after Ridgewell was injured in November 2011, retained his place, and scored seven goals over the season, including three goals towards the end of the campaign that helped the club reach a play-off position. Birmingham took up their option to extend Murphy's contract for a further two years, until June 2014.