Birmingham came from 2-0 to beat Coventry in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday, with David Bentley, Stuart Parnaby and Kevin Phillips netting in a 3-2 win.
Coventry 'keeper Kieren Westwood had just saved a Phillips header when his side took the lead on eleven minutes.
Marlon King evaded Liam Ridgewell, down injured at the time, before firing and low and hard shot past the despairing Colin Doyle. Birmingham protested about the legitimacy of the goal but it stood.
Westwood caused nerves to jangle in the Coventry ranks when he dropped a cross from Bentley. A Sky Blue shirt cleared the ball, however, and the team went 2-0 ahead when Richard Wood headed home from a corner.
Bentley soon reduced the arrears to a single goal, doing a number of step-overs before blasting the ball into the net off the bar from 30 yards out. A great goal.
Coventry thought they had a third just before half-time, when King was flagged offside just as he was about to shoot past Doyle.
The Birmingham fightback started early in the second half, and Alex McLeish's men should have scored when Jean Beausejour headed Bentley's cross wide.
The Blues' leveller was efficient and clinical. Beausejour slipped Alex Hleb into the box and his cross was tapped in by Parnaby.
It was left to veteran striker Phillips to seal the victory.
The Sunderland legend brought the ball down before firing into the goal with a great shot.
Coventry threw everything at Birmingham in an attempt to equalise, but after a promising start it was not to be their day.