Premier League: Birmingham 1 Wolves 1

Honours were even as Birmingham and Wolves played out an entertaining draw in a pulsating Midlands derby at St Andrews.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy will surely be the more disappointed with his side after failing to capitalise on playing an hour of the game with an extra man after the sending off of Birmingham midfielder Craig Gardner.

Wolves took a crucial early lead in the seventh minute after Birmingham goalkeeper Ben Foster brought down Stephen Ward in the box and Stephen Fletcher dispatched from the penalty spot.

But after crashing a free kick off the crossbar, Seb Larsson grabbed the equaliser for Birmingham in the 27th minute.

A long punt by Foster had Michael Mancienne in all sorts of trouble and the defender only succeeded in heading the ball into the path of the Swede who smashed the ball through Wayne Hennessey’s legs and into the goal.

But only seconds after the goal the home side were reduced to 10 men.

Gardner had already been booked when he went down under the challenge of Jody Craddock, however referee Kevin Friend adjudged the Birmingham player to have dived and showed the second yellow card followed by the inevitable red.

Wolves went into the second half with attack in mind, winger Adam Hammill coming on for defender Richard Stearman.

But for all their attacking options Foster was rarely troubled. In fact it took 24 second-half minutes for him to be forced into a save and even then it was a weak Jamie O’Hara effort.

Meanwhile Birmingham continued to ask questions at the other end as Larsson fizzed another free kick over and Lee Bowyer shot wide from the left channel.

In the end Birmingham were content to let Wolves have the ball until they got to the final third where they defended in numbers.

Frustratingly for the away side they could not take advantage and end the game in the same predicament they began with – second from bottom of the Premier League.