The Sunderland team bus required a police escort as it arrived at St Andrew’s barely an hour before kick-off last night but Roy Keane will not be averse to leaving it late if his team continue to score in the dying moments to accrue such crucial points as this. Stern John, the former Birmingham City striker, followed Michael Chopra’s example to leave Sunderland unbeaten and unbowed by their first two games back in the Premier League.

The Sunderland manager may question where players’ wives most like to shop but certainly it appears he knows how to buy a player. Chopra continued a storybook start to his Sunderland career by following his winning goal in stoppage time against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday with a marvellous late equaliser last night, making his £5 million transfer fee from Cardiff City appear somewhat less extortionate.

Even after Garry O’Connor scored to regain Birmingham the lead, there was still time for John, who had been applauded onto the field by his old supporters when arriving as a substitute, to equalise in controversial fashion.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence to score so many late goals,” Keane said. “It wasn’t the greatest performance but the desire and determination to get a result was there for all to see. You need that at a football club.”

John played a key role in helping Birmingham to clinch promotion five years ago after joining from Notting-ham Forest but last night he returned to St Andrew’s to help sour his old manager’s mood.

The veteran striker, who also headed against the crossbar with the score at 2-1, nodded into an empty net when it appeared Colin Doyle, having saved brilliantly Ross Wallace’s free kick, was being impeded by Roy O’Dono-van, the Sunderland substitute, as Nyron Nosworthy headed the ball across goal. “I was determined when we got back into the Premier League that I was not going to bleat about referees,” Steve Bruce, the Birmingham manager, said, “but we’ve all seen their centre forward jump all over our goal-keeper. After he’s made the save from the free kick, we’re all waiting for our big man to get back up but he’s still in the back of the net. He’s been manhandled but the referee’s missed it and it’s cost us dear.”

It may be churlish to talk of relegation six-pointers in mid-August but two years ago, the manner in which these teams started the season all but settled their fates. Birmingham lost six and drew one of their opening seven games at St Andrew’s, so home form was uppermost in Bruce’s mind when he started plotting a route to survival this summer. It took Sunderland until Boxing Day to reach six points in 2005/06 so Keane was not cutting his old Manchester United captain any slack last night, rotating his squad by making four unforced changes. He will need to make another on Saturday as Carlos Edwards was withdrawn with a hamstring injury after all three substitutes had been used.

Bruce brought in Stuart Parnaby for his first start for Birmingham but it was Stephen Kelly, the other full back, who claimed a deserved opening goal for the home team in the 28th minute. Kelly headed down Sebastian Lars-son’s free kick and ran away celebrating although the ball deflected off Paul McShane on its way in.

Liam Ridgewell was invariably on hand as he justified Bruce’s decision to keep him as captain in Damien Johnson’s absence despite his claret-and-blue connections. Indeed, the Tilton End started singing his name midway through the second half so it was ironic that his error should lead to Chopra’s goal 15 minutes from time. Dickson Etuhu headed the ball forward and, as Ridgewell leapt but missed his clearance, Chopra span round and, after one bounce, volleyed the ball into the top corner.

Birmingham appeared to have done enough for victory last night when O’Connor, the £2.65 million signing from Lokomotiv Moscow, latched onto Mikael Forssell’s pass to turn inside Paul McShane and fire in left-footed.

But Sunderland under Keane are nothing if not resolute and as the match moved into stoppage time, they still had another late goal in them. In ten of their past 14 matches, they have scored in the last 15 minutes. No one should dare write off Keane’s team.

Birmingham City (4-4-2): C Doyle – S Parnaby, J Djourou, L Ridgewell, S Kelly — S Larsson, F Muamba, M Nafti, O Kapo — G McSheffrey (sub: G O’Connor, 66min), M Forssell (sub: C Jerome, 84). Substitutes not used: Maik Taylor, R Jaidi, R Vine.

Sunderland (4-4-2): C Gordon – N Nosworthy, P McShane, D Collins, G Halford (sub: R O’Donovan, 71) — C Edwards, D Whitehead (sub: L Miller, 59), D Etuhu, R Wallace — D Connolly (sub: S John, 59), M Chopra. Substitutes not used: D Ward, R Anderson, Booked: Etuhu. Referee: K Stroud.