Jay Stansfield struck twice, including an 87th-minute winner, as Birmingham City beat 10-man Swansea City 2-1 to take top spot in the Championship.
An eventful afternoon at a sold-out St Andrew’s saw Swansea miss an early penalty and lose Marko Stamenic to a red card before Stansfield put the hosts ahead.
The visitors fought back after the interval, drawing level through a Christoph Klarer own goal, but Stansfield’s close-range finish secured Birmingham’s seventh victory in nine matches.
A fourth successive home win sends Chris Davies’ side into the international break on a high.
Swansea, meanwhile, dropped to sixth after suffering their fourth defeat in five games.
Vitor Matos’ visitors had looked the more dangerous team in the opening stages and were handed an opportunity to take the lead when Alex Cochrane was penalised for holding Jenson Seelt at a corner.
Ross Stewart stepped up, but Ryan Allsop read his penalty correctly and saved.
Swansea threatened again when Goncalo Franco met Eom Jisung’s cross with a header that struck the post.
Their promising start unravelled when Stamenic was dismissed for a heavy challenge on Ethan Laird, giving Birmingham the numerical advantage and changing the course of the first half.
The hosts soon capitalised. Patrick Roberts and Max Bird linked up on the right before Stansfield applied a composed first-time finish to register his 50th goal for the club.
Birmingham created several opportunities to extend their lead before half-time, but Lawrence Vigouroux kept out Liam Millar and Bird, while Stansfield headed against the woodwork.
Those missed chances gave Swansea hope, and their resilience was rewarded 20 minutes after the restart when Klarer diverted Josh Tymon’s corner into his own net.
Birmingham struggled to reproduce their earlier attacking threat as the second half progressed, with the visitors looking increasingly capable of holding on for a point.
However, Swansea failed to clear Demarai Gray’s corner with three minutes remaining, allowing Stansfield to drive home from close range and spark celebrations around St Andrew’s.
Birmingham maintain momentum
Little had separated these clubs heading into the contest.
Birmingham finished 10th last season, one place above Swansea on goal difference, and the same measure divided them before kick-off this weekend, with the Blues third and the Swans fifth.
Both have shown promise during the opening third of the campaign, but Birmingham now enter the international break with greater momentum.
Davies’ team were pushed hard by opponents who recovered impressively from a missed penalty and a dismissal.
Their persistence ultimately proved decisive, with Stansfield delivering in the continued absence of leading scorer August Priske.
Alongside the division’s strongest defensive record, Birmingham’s ability to find a late winner offers further encouragement for their promotion ambitions.
Birmingham City manager Chris Davies told BBC Radio WM:
"At the start of the game, we weren't sharp enough, and they got a penalty, but we got going after that.
"It was a poor decision for the penalty; I was very disappointed. Alex [Cochrane] has done nothing, and the lad throws himself to the floor.
"In the second half they changed shape, and we weren't creating enough to really put them under pressure and create chaos.
"It wasn't until late on that we started doing that, and in the end it paid off for us."
Swansea City head coach Vitor Matos told BBC Radio Wales:
"We started really well with chances, with control and with the right character. Then of course after the red card it's a completely different game.
"But what I've seen from my players - the effort, character, personality, the willingness to fight for the game - I think is something that should make us all proud.
"We tried so much to stay in the game, and unfortunately we didn't get something, but we will in the future."
