Cardiff City 1-1 Birmingham City

Lukas Jutkiewicz' equaliser went in off his shin

Lukas Jutkiewicz's scrappy late equaliser earned Birmingham City a draw at Cardiff City to ease the pressure on beleaguered Blues boss Gianfranco Zola.

Joe Ralls' second-half penalty put the hosts ahead, after Sean Morrison had been fouled by Ryan Shotton.

Birmingham salvaged a point in the 89th minute as Jutkiewicz bundled in a rebound after his header was saved.

They stay 17th in the Championship table but now only six points clear of the relegation zone.

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Birmingham not yet out of trouble

Despite Jutkiewicz's late goal, Bristol City's win at Wigan means the Blues look increasingly like a team who could get dragged into the battle to avoid the drop.

This match was a tale of two managerial appointments - each with wildly contrasting results.

Birmingham had won only twice in 17 games in all competitions since sacking Gary Rowett in December, with Zola overseeing a slump from seventh place to 17th in the Championship table.

Meanwhile, following Neil Warnock's arrival in October, Cardiff had climbed from second from bottom to 13th.

Joe Ralls celebrates celebrates his penalty success

The Bluebirds had won four of their last six home games in the league - keeping a clean sheet in each victory - and they looked likely to improve that record against a Birmingham side low on confidence.

The visitors barely threatened, with one of their few forays into the opposition box ending with a yellow card for Krystian Bielik for diving.

Cardiff had to be patient and, after a forgettable first half, they were awarded a penalty when Shotton wrestled Morrison to the ground.

Ralls was less than convincing from the spot, but Blues keeper Tomasz Kuszczak could only palm his low effort into the roof of the net.

The home side were in control for the vast majority of the match, but let their guard slip late on as keeper Alan McGregor saved Jutkiewicz's header, only for the ball to ricochet off the striker's shin and into the net.

Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock: "I can't fault the effort. We put a lot of energy in the second half, but once again we had the weakness of conceding late on.

"If I'm honest I expected a bit more from Birmingham with all the money they've spent, but they were quite content to play for the draw.

"It was a game we should have won."

Birmingham City boss Gianfranco Zola: "This was very encouraging because after such a poor performance there was a risk that the team could have had a bad reaction.

"But I didn't see that. I wanted to see the team fight and react to this bad moment, and I saw that. This is the thing which pleases me the most, and on personal terms it is very important as well.

"We need to be more consistent to get the momentum on our side because that is what has been lacking."