Sunderland 2 Birmingham 2

A second-half fightback from Birmingham saw them salvage a point from two goals down at Sunderland.

Blues looked dead and buried after a Darren Bent penalty and an own goal from Stephen Carr but the sending off of Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole changed the game, allowing Alex McLeish's men back in with strikes from Scott Dann and Liam Ridgewell.

Groans at referee Anthony Taylor, taking charge of just his fourth Premier League game, were common-place throughout and first rose to the surface when he gave a penalty to the home side in the 24th minute.

Fraizer Campbell's turn of pace had Carr struggling but the defender looked to have brought him down just outside the 18-yard box, although the referee pointed to the spot.

Up stepped Bent to coolly finish to the right of debutant Ben Foster's goal.

But Cattermole was sent off a minute before half-time, after picking up two yellow cards in the space of five minutes.

The tough-tackling midfielder had already been cautioned for a clumsy challenge on Cameron Jerome when he clattered into Lee Bowyer from behind, leaving the referee little option but to issue a red card.

However, Carr inadvertedly handed the home side another leg up with a clanger nine minutes into the second-half, putting through his own net with a looping header from Campbell's cross.

That looked to be that, but with a man advantage Blues always had a chance and were back in it in the 77th minute.

Up from the back came centre-half Scott Dann to beat two Sunderland debutants to a ball in, rising above Nedum Onuoha to head past goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

And the fightback was complete when another defender, right-back Liam Ridgewell, got the equaliser two minutes from time.

Sunderland manager and former Blues boss Steve Bruce was left visibly stunned after a Sebastian Larsson free-kick trickled off a mass off bodies into the path of Ridgewell, who forced the ball home.