Birmingham 1-2 Norwich: Late Onel Hernandez goal gives Canaries fourth straight win

Onel Hernandez's first Norwich goal in injury time completed their comeback

Substitute Onel Hernandez's injury-time goal saw Norwich come from behind to beat struggling Birmingham and earn a fourth straight league win.

Scott Hogan's strike early in the second half looked like it could give Birmingham - winless in five matches in all competitions - a surprise victory.

After Andrew Omobamidele scored a scrappy equaliser, the Canaries went in search of a second goal.

Hernandez got it with seconds left after being put through by Teemu Pukki to lift Norwich up to second in the Championship.

The two teams played out a tepid first half at a near silent St Andrew's, with Birmingham goalkeeper John Ruddy's excellent save from a Josh Sargent shot the only significant chance for either side.

However Birmingham, who have only won once all season, took a surprise lead after 50 minutes. Juninho Bacuna's cross on the right fell to Hogan, who fired past Norwich keeper Tim Krul.

Scott Hogan's goal early in the second half gave Birmingham the lead, against the run of play

Norwich, whose three straight wins before Tuesday evening had taken them from the relegation zone to the play-off spots, equalised after Omobamidele poked home from an excellent Marcelino Nunez free-kick.

They then went in search of a deserved winner, but a curled attempt from Pukki, which went just wide, was their best attempt until deep into injury time.

The Finland international released Hernandez and the Cuban, who had a spell on loan at Birmingham last season, coolly slotted home to complete the comeback.

Birmingham head coach John Eustace told BBC WM:

"I was very proud of the efforts and, after a disappointing performance last weekend, the lads showed fantastic spirit today. I was very proud of them.

"You have to put it in perspective though, we had six under-19s on the field at the end of the match against the top team in the league.

"We have to move on, we have to learn from the game and get ready for the next match."

Norwich head coach Dean Smith told BBC Radio Norfolk:

"It was a tough game. The first half wasn't a great watch, they cancelled us out and we didn't take enough risks. We spoke about that at half-time.

"We got back in to it and the substitutes changed it. I thought we deserved the win because we had the better chances.

"It's not how we would love to win, but you sometimes have to grind it out to win.

"I spoke to Onel [Hernandez] today about making more of an impact, he has told me he's a team player and he wants to make an impact. I wouldn't want to play against him and I'm really pleased for him."