Birmingham City were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against ten-man Derby County in a fractious, controversy-laden contest at St Andrew's, as Patrick Agyemang's first-half header was cancelled out by Jack Robinson's scruffy second-half equaliser before both sides finished with 10 players.
Joe Ward's dismissal just before half-time appeared to tilt the contest decisively in Birmingham's favour, only for the hosts to waste a series of chances and then lose captain Christoph Klarer to a stoppage-time red card for a reckless high challenge on substitute Ebou Adams. The result extended Birmingham's winless run to five matches, while Derby stretched their unbeaten sequence to four and, having defended for long spells with a numerical disadvantage, will have left feeling the more satisfied with a point.
Bright Blues Start Undone by Ruthless Rams Break
Chris Davies' side set the tone with an assertive start, pinning Derby back and almost taking the lead inside five minutes when Demarai Gray wriggled to the wrong side of Ward and drove a low finish against the foot of Jacob Widell Zetterstrom's right-hand post. Patrick Roberts repeatedly drifted into dangerous pockets between the lines, confirming Birmingham's early attacking fluency against opponents who pride themselves on defensive solidity.