Birmingham City 1-3 Leeds United

Chris Wood (left) is the top scorer in the Championship this season, with 22 goals

Chris Wood scored twice at former club Birmingham City as Leeds United won for the third time in four Championship games to move a point behind third-placed Huddersfield.

Wood's double, and a clinical late third from Alfonso Pedraza, meant a third home defeat in four for Blues.

After Wood's 14th-minute lob, Craig Gardner levelled on 63 minutes with a low, 25-yard left-foot curler.

But Wood scored from close range before Pedraza sealed the points.

Relive Leeds' win at Birmingham as it happened

Wood, who had a prolific half-season on loan at City from West Brom in 2011-12, has 25 goals this season in all competitions - with 22 in the league.

And his two goals at St Andrew's take him two ahead of Newcastle's Dwight Gayle at the top of the Championship charts.

Blues punished by clinical Leeds

Leeds boss Garry Monk, in the stands serving his one-game touchline ban, must have been pleased with his side's finishing, which was the difference against a Blues side who have won just twice in 16 games under Gianfranco Zola.

Birmingham made the much brighter start, David Davis firing into the side-netting from a tight angle and Rob Green diverting Che Adams' angled shot wide, but Blues were then cut open by a classic piece of long-ball football.

From defending a corner, keeper Rob Green found Luke Ayling, whose teasing long ball down the inside-right channel just evaded the despairing lunge of Ryan Shotton, leaving Wood in the clear to lift a superb instinctive lob over advancing Blues keeper Tomasz Kuszczak.

The hosts had chances to level, and Robert Tesche's stunning 25-yard left-foot shot swerved beyond Green but crashed back off the bar.

The luckless Adams then went close three times in as many minutes, with a header cleared off the line before he diverted Tesche's shot just over and was then denied at close range by Green.

Gardner finally brought Blues level, but the hosts were back on terms for only four minutes.

Kalvin Phillips squared from the right and young defender Josh Dacres-Cogley lost his footing on the wet, muddy surface in the six-yard box, allowing Wood to turn home from close range.

Then, on 82 minutes, Pedraza wrapped it up with a low left-foot shot into Kuszczak's bottom corner, to send the noisy army of Leeds fans home deliriously happy.

Birmingham City manager Gianfranco Zola told BBC Sport:

"The result does not reflect what happened on the pitch but, on the other side, there was a player who touched the ball three times and scored two.

"We made a few mistakes, but it is difficult to say anything to my team when they have put in a performance like that against a team who are fourth in the league. We are genuinely doing our best. I cannot complain.

"We have to put right the mistakes, but overall it was our best performance of the season. I need to encourage the players to keep playing like this."

Leeds United manager Garry Monk told BBC Sport:

"I didn't enjoy the first 60 minutes. Birmingham were excellent and it was tough for us.

"We were second best, especially in the first half. They will feel aggrieved that they did not capitalise on the chances they created.

"But we showed a strong mentality and, in that last half-hour, we were excellent. We scored some very good goals and in the end won comfortably.

"The subs made a good impact, Pedraza scored his first for the club and we had two great finishes from Chris Wood, especially the first - great improvisation."