Birmingham rallied from two goals down to draw 2-2 at 10-man Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday.
Scott Dann scored in the 78th minute and Liam Ridgewell hit another 10 minutes later to rescue a point for Birmingham at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland led 1-0 when Darren Bent converted a penalty in the 24th minute following Stephen Carr's foul on Fraizer Campbell.
Sunderland captain Lee Cattermole was sent off in the 44th for a second yellow card, but his opposite number also had a bad day, Carr's own goal early in the second half giving the hosts a 2-0 lead.
Black Cats manager Steve Bruce, who gave debuts to six new signings, was angered by the performance of referee Anthony Taylor.
Cattermole received a second yellow card for a foul on Lee Bowyer, but Bruce was perplexed by the first - which was apparently for kicking the ball away.
''Nobody in the ground knew what it was for,'' he told the Press Association. ''He didn't kick the ball away, he passed it to them.
''I think it was the referee's second or third game, and in my opinion, he was out of his depth. He's only been refereeing for four years and it looked like it.''
However, Birmingham manager Alex McLeish highlighted a controversial first-half challenge by Cattermole, which left Garry O'Connor with a cut above his eye.
''The guy jumped with his elbows outstretched,'' said McLeish. ''In the U.K. we still don't really penalize that but in the Champions League they can send you off for that.''
Midfielder Sebastian Larsson had a hand in both goals for Birmingham.
It was his cross which Dann headed in through the legs of debutant Sunderland keeper Simon Mignolet and Ridgewell equalized from close range after the hosts failed to clear Larsson's free-kick.
''We showed in the end the fantastic resilience and spirit that the players have got,'' said McLeish. ''When you've got set-piece accuracy from somebody like Larsson, it just needs somebody to be on the end of it.''
