Horlock keeps City on Wolves' tail

Although obliged to come from behind after the home side had taken an early lead, Manchester City nonetheless moved another important step closer to a return to the Premiership by downing a second play-off contender in the space of three days at St Andrew's last night ­ and doing so with their £5m new signing Jon Macken left to watch from the bench.

Bravely, Birmingham attempted to match fire with fire against the First Division's most potent attacking force but were ultimately worn down by the sheer weight of City's will to score. Goals by Niclas Jensen just before half-time followed by Kevin Horlock's 68th-minute winner took City's tally for the season to exactly 100.

The leaders Wolves, who have played one game more than City, go to Nottingham Forest tonight with their advantage reduced to two points and with Kevin Keegan, the City manager, throwing out a challenge. "I know Dave Jones at Wolves will have other ideas but I would like to win the championship of this division because I think we are the best team," he said.

It was a view with which Steve Bruce, the Birmingham manager, concurred. "They are far and away the best team in the division and probably the best Manchester City team I have seen," the former United captain said.

After conceding nine unanswered goals in their two previous encounters with City, Birmingham's decision to follow Keegan's lead in making attack the best form of defence could have backfired horribly. But the start they enjoyed could not have been more encouraging, bringing them the lead inside four minutes when Michael Johnson's back header went over Nicky Weaver.

The goal served only to bring City forward. Shaun Wright-Phillips, who scored twice in City's 4-2 win over Coventry on Sunday, hit the foot of a post with one attempt and brought a point-blank save from Ian Bennett with another. The best of Birmingham's chances to do damage on the break both fell to Stern John, who failed to make good contact when Geoff Horsfield's cross gave him a free header and then dragged a left-foot shot narrowly wide.

The inevitable City equaliser arrived moments before the break, although there was controversy attached. A through ball by Wright-Phillips appeared to find Darren Huckerby offside but in the absence of a flag the City striker was able to set up Jensen for a virtual tap-in.

Shaun Goater almost put City ahead within two minutes of the restart, denied first by a fine save by Bennett and then by a deflection when the loose ball allowed him a second stab. Although largely under the cosh, Birmingham could have put City on the back foot a second time had John not blasted wide after Horsfield's clever back heel. Instead, City's unrelenting appetite for the chase was rewarded again.

Huckerby was a central figure again, his pass from the left across the edge of the 18-yard box picking out Horlock, who placed a well controlled shot into the bottom left-hand corner.

Birmingham City (4-4-2): Bennett; Kenna, Purse, M Johnson, Grainger (A Johnson, 73); Devlin, Hughes, Carter, Mooney; John (Hyde, 74), Horsfield. Substitutes not used: Vaesen (gk), Eaden, McCarthy.

Manchester City (3-5-2): Weaver (Nash, 33); Dunne, Howey (Mettomo, 72), Pearce; Wright-Phillips, Benarbia, Horlock, Tiatto, Jensen; Goater, Huckerby. Substitutes not used: Sun Jihai, Ritchie, Macken.

Referee: W Jordan (Hertfordshire).