Forssell leaves it late as Blues move out of drop zone

Birmingham 2 Blackburn 1

In the process, he wrecked Robbie Savage's return to St Andrews with Blackburn.

Savage looked as if he had come back to haunt Birmingham by cancelling out Nicky Butt's opener with just 12 minutes remaining - his first goal for his new club.

But Forssell drilled home a cross from Julian Gray, in the 87th minute, to move Steve Bruce's side ahead of Portsmouth on goal difference.

Savage had already upset David Gold when he declined to shake hands with the Blues chairman before the game.

But his contribution on the field was the biggest dagger into the heart of Gold and Birmingham - until Forssell's late strike.

Birmingham's problem all season has been their inability to convert their opportunities, and, in the first half, the otherwise impressive Chris Sutton was guilty of one of the misses of the season.

Rovers were also indebted to goalkeeper Brad Friedel for keeping them in the hunt during the opening 45 minutes - against a pumped-up home side for whom Butt was a key figure in midfield.

BIRMINGHAM: Maik Taylor, Tebily, Cunningham, Martin Taylor, Sadler, Pennant (Melchiot 37), Johnson, Butt, Gray, Sutton, Heskey (Forssell 67).

BLACKBURN: Friedel, Neill, Todd (Mokoena 74), Nelsen, Khizanishvili, Emerton (Kuqi 71), Reid, Savage, Pedersen (Peter 45), Bentley, Bellamy.

Ref: U Rennie (S Yorkshire).