Birmingham City 3-0 Bristol City: Auston Trusty hits a double as Blues cruise past Robins
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American defender Auston Trusty scored his first goals in English football with a first-half double
Auston Trusty's double helped Birmingham to a comfortable win over a below-par Bristol City at St Andrew's.
Blues hit the front inside four minutes when Trusty's header from Tahith Chong's corner was judged to have crossed the line, despite Mark Sykes' attempted clearance.
The American defender then tapped in his second before the break, reacting quickest after his header, from Hannibal Mejbri's free-kick, had hit a post.
A third set-piece goal ended any hopes for the Robins when Wolves loanee Dion Sanderson tapped in at the back post following another Chong corner.
The Robins kicked off as the Championship's top away scorers with 11, but a sixth defeat of the season left them 18th and with the leakiest record on the road, shipping 16 times in seven trips.
Arsenal loanee Trusty capitalised on the visitors' struggles at set-pieces to score his first senior goals in English football at either end of the first half.
The Blues had scored just four times in the league at St Andrew's this season and had failed to score in half of their 12 league matches, but could have had more before the break.
In between Trusty's double, Robins goalkeeper Daniel Bentley was called into action to deny Chong and then Scott Hogan when clean through.
Nigel Pearson brought on forwards Chris Martin and Antoine Semenyo in a triple-change at half-time, but the visitors managed just one shot on target and have picked up just one point from their last five matches.
And it was the hosts who finished the stronger, Krystian Bielik volleying just wide from another Chong corner before Sanderson's tap-in to cap a third win in six matches which lifts Blues to 14th.
Birmingham City head coach John Eustace told BBC Radio WM:
"We got back in the early hours of Thursday morning (from Middlesbrough), but the lads' attitude on Thursday after a disappointing result was very, very good and we were focussed and determined to put on a good performance today, which we did.
"The amount of work that (assistant head coach) Matt Gardiner and the staff put in on the set-pieces for and against is unbelievable and we haven't got what we've deserved (before today).
"I thought the delivery today was magnificent which makes a huge difference, of course.
"For the two centre-halves to score the three goals was very pleasing and I think that summed up their season so far. They have been brilliant."
Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson told BBC Radio Bristol:
"It was very poor. I can't explain why we had so many individuals who under-performed.
"It's my responsibility, and I'm not going to shirk that, but the honest answer at this moment in time is I can't tell you the reason that a number of players out there, who have played almost every game, didn't turn up today, and that is unacceptable for us.
"The players who went on had a positive impact and I think it's important to at least acknowledge that, but making wholesale substitutions at half-time is not really what I want to be doing. What it says is that the players who have earnt their way into the side have been prepared to give it away too easily.
"I know we're missing some important players, but other players have to step up as well and we had a few too many passengers today I'm afraid."