Kevin Doyle had put Wolves ahead with a first-half tap-in and the Black County outfit looked to be heading out of the Premier League relegation zone going into the final 10 minutes of Sunday's derby. Phillips had other ideas, though, and produced two instinctive finishes in the final 10 minutes to strengthen Blues' surprise European bid and keep Wolves fighting for their lives at the other end. Alex McLeish's side were quickly out of the traps after kick-off and created early chances for Lee Bowyer and Cameron Jermome, both of whom were denied by resolute Wolves defending. Marcus Hahnemann also had to be on hand to block a close-range effort from Jerome after one of six Birmingham corners in the first 15 minutes, but Wolves slowly came into the game and went close in the 32nd minute when Ronald Zubar headed wide from a good position. Jerome was denied again by Hahnemann shortly after but it was Wolves who went ahead in fortuitous fashion three minutes before the interval when Doyle converted from close range after a centre from Matt Jarvis ricocheted off Roger Johnson and then the post. Zubar missed a chance to double the visitors' advantage shortly after the interval but the game turned on its head in the 64th minute when Phillips was introduced in place of the injured Christian Benitez. He watched on in the 80th minute as Jerome was once again denied by Hahnemann and then showed how it should be done moments later with a classic poacher's goal after Craig Gardner headed Keith Fahey's cross across the box. And the vereran was not done there as, just five minutes later, he popped up again to brilliantly chest and volley home from 12 yards following a superb surge down the right wing by Stephen Carr. Mick McCarthy introduced Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Andrew Surman for the final minutes but there was to be no late equaliser for Wolves, who remain second from bottom. Birmingham, on the other hand, are now just four points behind their fierce rivals Aston Villa in seventh place.
