Sunderland vs Birmingham City

Second half was disappointing after a promising opening period. If Sunderland where the best team in the first-half, Birmingham probably edged it towards the end. They will now go to St. Andrews to do it all again. 1-1 the final score and that is just about a fair reflection of the game. Nothing special as a game but two fantastic goals.

Full time whistle is blown and the game ends all square

Cisse slides in wildly on Arca, catching his standing leg. Play goes on but the referee returns to the player to give him his second yellow card. Cisse came on in the 80th minute, got booked in the 85th and then was sent off in stoppage time. What a contribution!

Johnson disputes an offside decision a little too aggressively for Graham Poll's liking and he becomes the latest player to be shown yellow.

Two minutes of stoppage time announced

A bit of handbags between Dugarry and McAteer. Referee gives them both a talking to and everyone calms down again

Birmingham break with Dugarry and Forsell. McAteer - still running himself ragged - gets back to make a timely intervention in his own box

Oster recieves the ball out wide on the half-way line. He beats Lazaridis and suges forward. Long, looping cross aimed for Kyle is claimed well by Taylor

Sunderland attack down the left with Wright getting involved in the play. Forsell tracks all the way back to his own touchline to help out the defence

Cisse is given a yellow card for something he said to the referee

Cisse is robbed of possession in the centre of the pitch and break in numbers. Ball is played out wide to Oster who has time to shoot. His effort goes well over the bar

Ball over the top sees Dugarry in acres of space behind the Sunderland back line. Flag stays down though replays show he was offside. It doesn't matter anyway as he fails to control the bal and it runs through to Poom

Nice skill from Dugarry whose turn wrong foots McCartney who ends up fouling the Frenchman as a result

Savage makes way for Aliou Cisse to enter the action

As the game approaches the last ten minutes it has gone a little flat. Sunderland are not imposing themselves as much and slowly Birmingham are creeping into it

Dugarry thows the ball down on the ground in protest at the decision. Referee books him for it

Long clearance from Taylor is returned and then follows a period of sloppy play which culminates in a foul by Kenna on the half-way line

Dugarry crosses from the left wing after creating the space to do so himself. Ball runs to Lazaridis who's effort is deflected for a corner

Lazaridis, under pressure from more than one defender drifts wide to the left of the Sunderland box before unleashing a powerful effort. Poom gets down well to palm the shot around his near post

Under pressure from Whitley, Upson concedes a throw in on the right level with the six-yard box. Throw taken quickly comes to nothing

A heavy drizzle is making the playing surface a bit slippy and hard to play good football on

Free-kick is within shooting range but the effort is weak and doesn't trouble Taylor

Fast break by Mccartney sees him and Stewart two against two just outside the box. Stewart receives the pass but is then fouled by Upson

Dugarry whips a curling cross to the back post for Forsell. Forsell tries to head back across the area but it is blocked. Some appeals for handball but the referee corectly just awards a corner

Rare Birmingham break is ended as Arca wins the race to the ball over the top with Johnson