ROBBIE Savage might have made a point at St Andrews last night but Blackburn Rovers' failure to do the same leaves Mark Hughes and his players looking anxiously over their shoulders as the race for Europe enters the home straight.
Two damaging defeats in the space of four days have set nerves jangling in the Blackburn camp and Hughes knows his charges must recover their composure quickly if all the hard work of the last nine months is not to go to waste during the mad dash for the finishing line.
This was always going to be a defining night in the season for both clubs and so it proved as Mikael Forssell's late winner lifted Birmingham out of the bottom three and effectively spelt the end of Rovers' Champions League dreams.
Not surprisingly, Rovers were crestfallen afterwards and few felt that disappointment more acutely than Savage, who went through the full spectrum of emotions as he returned to St Andrews for the first time since he acrimoniously quit the Blues 15 months ago.
Barracked from start to finish, the controversial Welshman thought he'd rescued a point for Rovers when he stole in to grab a 78th minute equaliser that stunned the Birmingham boo-boys into silence.
It was his first goal since his much-publicised move up the M6 and he could not have dreamed of a better place to score it!
But Savage's joy was shortlived as nine minutes later that strike was rendered little more than a consolation, Forssell punishing a lapse in concentration to plunder the winner, which means it's now the UEFA Cup or bust for Hughes' men.
"Obviously, it's disappointing," said Savage.
"After we'd worked so hard to get ourselves back into the game, it's then gutting to throw it away like that.
"But we can't afford to dwell on this. We've got to pick ourselves up and make sure we get into Europe.
"We've got three games left and we've got to win at least two of them to qualify for the UEFA Cup.
"It needs a massive effort from everyone, but we're determined not to let all the hard work of the last nine months go down the pan."
Inevitably, Savage was always going to have a leading role in this Premiership passion play and so it proved, although the ending was not the one he had dreamed of when he went to bed the night before.
Birmingham fans have never forgiven him for the way he walked out on them last January so security at St Andrews had to be stepped up last night amid fears of a retribution attack.
That made for an even more hostile atmosphere than normal but, thankfully, the home fans expressed their anger in words not deeds; as Mark Hughes, quite rightly, pointed out in the pre-match build-up, the Blues have far more pressing things to worry about than settling a score with an old boy!
Nevertheless, Savage's presence merely added to the tension on a night when neither side could afford to lose in their respective battles.
Hughes decided to partner David Bentley with Craig Bellamy in attack but without Tugay to pull the strings in midfield, the service into the two strikers was poor.
It was only when Sergio Peter came on for the ineffective Morten Gamst Pedersen at the start of the second half that the supply line improved.
Birmingham's tactics, meanwhile, were obvious from the moment you saw their teamsheet.
With Emile Heskey partnering Chris Sutton in attack, the Blues looked to get the ball into the box from the flanks at every opportunity; their two wideman, Jermaine Pennant and Julian Gray, supplying a steady stream of crosses on a pitch that was made treacherous by a first half downpour.
Rovers started brightly enough and Bentley should have done better than shoot wastefully off target when presented with two golden opportunities inside the opening three minutes.
From then on, however, it was Birmingham who posed the greater attacking threat in a lively first half, with most of their best work choreographed by the elusive Pennant.
He supplied the cross from which Nicky Butt saw a goalbound shot charged down by a defender, then another Pennant centre led to a chance for Gray, but his acrobatic volley was brilliantly tipped over by Brad Friedel.
With Pennant a constant menace down the right, Birmingham kept probing and prompting in their search for the goal that would settle the home fans' frayed nerves.
Heskey headed over, Damien Johnson forced another fine save out of Friedel, then Sutton somehow passed up a glorious opportunity to score against his former club when his shot wide from three yards out.
Rovers emerged with greater attacking purpose at the beginning of the second half and they were almost rewarded with the opening goal when Bentley's 20-yarder curled inches wide of the upright.
After Martin Taylor then headed wide at the opposite end, Zura Khizanishvili went even closer to breaking the deadlock when his header from a corner thudded against the base of the post and bounced out to safety.
That was to prove the turning point as Birmingham then grabbed the lead with a goal out of the blue in the 62nd minute.
Heskey contested an aerial challenge with Andy Todd on the edge of the area and when the ball broke loose, the former England striker's mis-hit shot fell straight to Gray, who crossed for Butt to tap in from three yards out.
That was Hughes' cue to summon Shefki Kuqi from the bench and 16 minutes later he helped to fashion the equaliser by flicking on a cross to Sergio Peter, who had ghosted in completely unmarked at the far post.
The German tamed the ball with his first touch and then unleashed a ferocious drive that Maik Taylor did well to parry, but Savage was onto the rebound in a flash and expertly guided a low shot inside the post. Game on again!
Both sides had chances to snatch it after that but after Taylor produced a fine save to deny Bellamy and Forssell had a strong shout for a penalty turned down, the Finn grabbed the winner.
Gray's cross from the left in the 87th minute found the former Chelsea striker eight yards out and with his back to goal, but he pirouetted and slammed a low shot inside Friedel's left-hand post.
