Birmingham recorded their fifth successive win with a 2-1 triumph over Blackburn Rovers.
Jerome brace enough to see off Blackburn
Birmingham striker Cameron Jerome was the hero as his two goals helped his side see off Blackburn Rovers 2-1 at St Andrews.
The result gives Alex McLeish's team their fifth successive win, a result which lifts them to sixth in the Premier League table.
The home side looked better throughout and they took the lead after just 12 minutes, Jerome tapping in from close range after Rovers failed to clear a corner.
The 23-year-old then doubled his side's lead three minutes after the restart, sliding Stephen Carr's pass into the net.
Sam Allardyce's men pulled one back through Ryan Nelsen, but the Blues held on to continue their remarkable run of form.
McLeish has guided his side to the lofty heights of the top half of the table going into the match, and the Scot has successfully shrugged off his side's tag as relegation candidates.
There is a long way to go in the season but the St Andrews faithful will enjoy another win which sees them go above Rafa Benitez's Liverpool for 24 hours at least.
Their success has been built from the back, the pairing of Roger Johnson and Scott Dann giving the Midlands club a solid foundation to build on.
Goals have not flowed for Birmingham, but rejuvenated midfielder Lee Bowyer - the club's top-scorer with five - has had a knack of scoring goals at important times.
The former Leeds man was a sideshow tonight, though, and it was all about Jerome's brace.
The home side started the livelier of the two, keeping hold of the ball and passing it with purpose.
Napping
They were able to win a corner after a mix-up in the Blackburn defence. Johnson launched a long-ball forward and Nelsen wanted keeper Paul Robinson to come and collect.
The stopper stayed on his line and the New Zealander cleared for a corner. James McFadden caught the Rovers' defence napping, playing it short to Sebastien Larsson.
The Swede sent over an inviting cross that bobbled in the box, landing at Jerome who made no mistake from close range.
It provided the perfect start and McLeish's men continued to ask all the questions.
Christian Benitez wriggled free of the Rovers defence, but Chris Samba was able to recover.
At the other end Blackburn offered very little, and their over reliance on long-throws saw them seldom test Joe Hart.
They had a scare just before half-time when Samba nodded on a Morten Gamst Pedersen long-throw, the ball heading towards goal until Johnson intervened.
Birmingham had their opponents right where they wanted them and they started the second half in explosive fashion.
Three minutes after the restart Larsson picked up possession down the right. He held the ball up before playing in Carr, who had made another marauding run from right-back.
He continued into the Rovers defence before playing in the perfect pass for Jerome, who hit the shot first-time and fired it past Robinson.
The strike was the former Cardiff man's 50th career goal, and if he continues taking his chances like that then McLeish will have few concerns over the number in the 'for' chart of the table.
Buckled
Rovers were rocked and City nearly had a third when James McFadden broke into the area, only for Pascal Chimbonda to time a tackle to perfection to prevent the Scot from shooting.
To their credit, the visitors could have buckled but they held firm and repelled any initial threat of a third goal that would surely have killed them off.
Instead, they hauled themselves back into matters. Pedersen's delivery from set-pieces had been poor all night until he whipped in a delightful 68th minute free-kick.
The in-swinging delivery from the right found Nelsen lurking after Hart had saved a shot from Chimbonda, the big defender tapping home from inside the six-yard box to give his side hope.
Blackburn had renewed spirit and they peppered the home box with long-balls, but they were always vulnerable to being hit on the counter.
They should have been dead and buried when Robinson left his goal open, although Benitez somehow managed to rattle the cross-bar with the net unguarded.
His side nearly paid for that miss when Larsson unknowingly cleared a header off the line, yet there was still time for drama as the winger popped up at the other end.
He was denied by Robinson, the keeper saving with his feet as his side held out to bag their fifth straight win.
| Birmingham City |
Team Statistics |
Blackburn Rovers |
| 2 |
Goals |
1 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
| 6 |
Shots off Target |
3 |
| 6 |
Blocked Shots |
5 |
| 6 |
Corners |
7 |
| 10 |
Fouls |
17 |
| 4 |
Offsides |
2 |
| 2 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 61 |
Passing Success |
60.3 |
| 14 |
Tackles |
21 |
| 100 |
Tackles Success |
57.1 |
| 51.5 |
Possession |
48.5 |
| 52.1 |
Territorial Advantage |
47.9 |
|
