MANCHESTER City's European hopes took another blow with defeat against Birmingham at St Andrews.

Argentinian forward Mauro Zarate took advantage of slack defending by Richard Dunne to open the scoring before adding a second shortly after the break.

City were thrown a lifeline when referee Rob Styles sent off Franck Queudrue for a professional foul on Benjani in the box. Elano scored from the spot, but it proved only a brief respite.

Styles awarded a controversial penalty at the other end after Sun Jihai's challenge on Gary McSheffrey and the Birmingham striker scored to settle the game.

Didi Hamann came back in for City after suspension in place of Michael Johnson, and City went close after seven minutes after Fabrice Muamba had given the ball away in midfield.

Elano threaded the ball through to Benjani and his low shot beat goalkeeper Maik Taylor but struck the post and rebounded out before Queudrue cleared at the expense of a corner.

City looked shaky at the back and Radhi Jaidi had a header cleared off the line by Elano after he had made good contact on his header from a McSheffrey corner.

McSheffrey had gone 13 months without a league goal in open play and his anxiety surfaced when he volleyed over from 10 yards out when unmarked after Richard Dunne’s unintentional back header from a teasing Sebastian Larsson cross fell into his path.

Another superb ball into the box from Larsson almost caught out Dunne who was relieved when he toe-ended the ball over Joe Hart, who was off his line, and onto the roof of his own net.

Technique

Queudrue showed great technique with an overhead kick from the edge of the Manchester City area which was tipped over the bar by Hart.

Birmingham took the lead after 39 minutes through Zarate’s second goal in two games.

Dunne failed to cut out Queudrue's pass into the path of the Argentinian striker who calmly lobbed the ball over Hart into the corner of the net.

Another superb finish by Zarate doubled Birmingham’s lead after 54 minutes.

Forssell won the ball in the air and his flick-on found McSheffrey who slipped the ball into Zarate who drilled a low shot past Hart from 15 yards out.

But then City back in it three minutes later as the home side were reduced to 10 men with the sending-off of Queudrue.

Muamba’s misplaced pass played Birmingham into trouble and Queudrue was adjudged to have been the last defender as he brought down Benjani in the penalty area.

Queudrue was given his marching orders by Styles before Elano made no mistake from the spot.

City enjoyed a spell of superiority for the first time but with 13 minutes left McSheffrey scored from the spot after it was adjudged he had been brought down by Sun Jihai.

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