Bill Edgar's tactical analysis

If Birmingham City keep playing like this, they will stay up. Alex McLeish’s players are following Scotland’s lead and giving the best of opponents a run for their money, while Chelsea proved that, even without their African Cup of Nations players and their injured England stars, they are learning how to grind out the results that can keep them on the coat-tails of the Barclays Premier League’s front-runners.

Just as McLeish’s Scotland beat France twice and took Italy to the brink during qualification for the European Championship finals, so Birmingham have given Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea tough challenges over their past three league matches, despite earning only a point.

The task for Birmingham, who are above the relegation zone only on goal difference, is to carry such form into their next matches. “Sunderland and Derby will be different games, but the players have to believe in themselves with these performances,” McLeish said. “If they can play to that level against Man United, Arsenal and Chelsea, then they must allow themselves to be of similar belief and confidence in other games. I think if we have that level of performance in every game, we would stay up.”

Joe Cole, the Chelsea midfield player, said: “I think Birmingham have enough to stay in the division and I’d back them to stay up.”

While Birmingham introduced James McFadden, their new £6 million signing, from the substitutes’ bench, after Garry O’Connor and Cameron Jerome had worked hard against the imperious Claude Makelele to disrupt Chelsea’s fluency, it was the turn of Avram Grant’s back-up crew to come good. The Chelsea first-team coach requires his foot soldiers to keep the club in contention for the title and Claudio Pizarro stepped forward to keep his side within four points of the leaders.

It had been five months since the Peru striker had scored previously for Chelsea and that was also against Birmingham. He has kept his head down, while Nicolas Anelka has come in for £15 million and Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou have gone off on international duty, but on Saturday he got his head up to convert Juliano Belletti’s corner.

It was a bold move by Grant to introduce him within half an hour when Shaun Wright-Phillips was withdrawn with an ankle injury because Chelsea were rattled by Birmingham’s full-on assault. Jerome had two efforts cleared off the line and headed a poor clearance by Petr Cech, the goalkeeper, against a post, but Chelsea asserted themselves in the second period to extend their run under Grant to two defeats in 27 matches.

Birmingham City (4-4-2): Maik Taylor 6 – S Kelly 5, R Schmitz 6, L Ridgewell 7, F Queudrue 7 – S Larsson 6, F Muamba 7, D Johnson 8, O Kapo 7 – G O’Connor 7 (sub: M Forssell, 72min), C Jerome 8 (sub: J McFadden, 72). Substitutes not used:C Doyle, G McSheffrey, S Parnaby. Booked: Muamba. Next: Sunderland (a).

Chelsea (4-3-3): P Cech 5 – J Belletti 7, R Carvalho 6, Alex 5, A Cole 5 – J Cole 7 (sub: S Sidwell, 85), C Makelele 9, M Ballack 7 – S Wright-Phillips 5 (sub: C Pizarro 29 6), N Anelka 7, F Malouda 5 (sub: W Bridge, 90). Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, T Ben Haim. Booked: Pizarro. Next: Reading (h).

Referee R Styles
Attendance 26,567