Birmingham City vs Sunderland. Sky Bet Championship.
St. Andrew's StadiumAttendance27,449.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Birmingham City and Sunderland at St Andrew's on Saturday | Tony Mowbray's Blues earn comeback win over his former Black Cats side.
Saturday 17 February 2024 18:55, UK
Tony Mowbray celebrated back-to-back home wins against his most recent former clubs after Birmingham came from behind to beat Sunderland 2-1.
Koji Miyoshi capped a magnificent comeback by City after Jordan James equalised on the hour to make it two home victories in five days after they beat Blackburn 1-0 on Tuesday night.
Jack Clarke gave Sunderland the lead in the 22nd minute with his 15th goal of the season as the Black Cats dominated the first half.
But it was a different story in the second half as Blues, watched by 27,449 - the biggest crowd at St Andrew's for more than seven years when 29,656 saw a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa on October 30, 2016 - looked far hungrier.
Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham - making his first return to St Andrew's since leaving in the summer - beat Cody Drameh on the left but his cross was blocked by the legs of goalkeeper John Ruddy.
Pierre Ekwah sent a rising drive over the bar then Mason Burstow seemed to have a golden chance to score when he latched on to Romaine Mundle's deflected cross, but the ball hit his heel and sailed harmlessly over.
Mundle had the first on-target effort but his 25-yard drive arrowed straight at Ruddy.
Birmingham's first chance was a blockbuster as Jay Stansfield crashed a full-blooded 25-yard volley goalwards only for goalkeeper Anthony Patterson to tip it over after Sunderland partly cleared a corner.
But the visitors' bright start was rewarded when they took the lead.
Seung-Ho Paik's square pass to Marc Roberts was easily intercepted by Clarke, who raced on to coolly slot past Ruddy into the bottom corner of the net.
Birmingham continued to give the ball away in dangerous situations and Paik was booked for catching Ekwah late, Bellingham curling over the resulting 20-yard free-kick.
Sunderland went close to a second goal in the 42nd minute.
Mundle got the wrong side of Krystian Bielik but his curling shot - aiming for the same corner of the net as Clarke did for the goal - was turned aside by Ruddy at full stretch.
Birmingham looked a different proposition after the break, however, and their improvement was rewarded with the equaliser on the hour.
Midfielder James slotted home after Miyoshi had two shots blocked - the first by Trai Hume on the line - after Tyler Roberts' angled drive had been parried by Patterson.
Sunderland had the ball in the net again in the 68th minute - but any joy was short-lived as Burstow's header from Clarke's free-kick was ruled offside.
Birmingham's revival was in full swing when Miyoshi put the hosts ahead with 10 minutes of normal time to go.
The Japan midfielder prodded home ahead of Patterson after reacting quickest to Stansfield's deflected cross for his fifth goal of the season.
Birmingham's Tony Mowbray:
"I'm very proud of the group and their desire and determination to work really hard for each other on the back of a landscape of where we are in the league.
"After not winning many home games this season, it's an amazing achievement for them.
"We're in a predicament and we're still in the same position after a couple of teams won.
"We're still six points away from trouble but it's given us a bit of confidence and momentum and the belief that we can win against anyone at home.
Sunderland's Michael Beale:
"Unless we improve our away form it (play-offs) is going to be difficult.
"We have to find a way of getting positive away results because it's nowhere good enough.
"We're certainly not giving up on anything with the amount of games we've got to go.
"But our away form all season has been a concern."
