Birmingham 0 Everton 2

After one year and six days, Blues tamely surrendered their proud undefeated home record to bottom-of –the-league Everton at St Andrew's.

The visitors dominated possession throughout and two second-half goals – an own goal by Roger Johnson and a late Tim Cahill header – earned them a comfortable victory.

Everton showed little sign of their recent poor form in the first-half as they dominated possession, both creating and missing the bulk of the chances.

Cahill tested goalkeeper Ben Foster early with a low, downward header after five minutes, from Leighton Baines' left wing cross.

Baines was a regular thorn in Blues' side throughout the opening 45 minutes and Stephen Carr made a vital interception, racing into the box from the left wing 19 minutes in.

The sizable travelling support appealed half-heartedly for a penalty, but Carr clearly took the ball.

The Toffees continued to dominate down Blues' left flank as the half continued.

Cahill nodded another testing ball goalward from Yakubu's left-wing cross, after Leon Osman had beaten Carr.

Yakubu then dragged a shot well wide of goal in plenty of space and Cahill nodded well over from distance, as Everton's wastefulness continued.

But Sylvain Distin nearly gifted Blues an unlikely lead, when Cameron Jerome burst on to his mis-placed header midway through the first half.

The former Cardiff striker raced onto the loose ball but fired well wide of the target, as the chance went begging.

Ridgewell then denied Yakubu with a heroic block tackle inside the box to turn the Nigerian's shot behind, after Johnson's slip had presented the striker with a great shooting chance.

Baines had a penalty shout turned down, after Larsson appeared to clip the defender's trailing leg as he tried to burst past the Swede inside the area.

By the time Osman skied the ball over 13 minutes before the break, it was abundantly clear why Everton had not yet scored away from home in the league this season.

But Everton were at least dominating possession so much that Blues had very few chances to trouble them at the other end.

Alexander Hleb, playing in a withdrawn role behind Jerome, showed good awareness to release Carr down the right wing but his cross drifted through the box without a touch, as Jerome was out-marked.

Carr created a rare chance for Blues after robbing Osman of possession deep in his own half and breaking forward to cross for Jerome, but the striker's header drifted just over the bar as the chance went begging.

Osman again fired over in the final minute of a frustrating half for both sides, albeit for different reasons.

Jerome won an early corner for Blues three minutes after the restart, but goalkeeper Tim Howard thumped away Lee Bowyer's kick.

Roger Johnson produced two brave tackles as Everton pressed for the opener.

But the defender then handed Everton the lead with an own goal on 53 minutes, prodding Osman's left-wing cross passed his own goalkeeper.

It was a scrappy goal, but in truth no more than David Moyes' side had deserved.

Immediately Blues fans began to chant 4-4-2, fearing a third home game without a goal and the end of their 18-game unbeaten run at St Andrews.

McLeish persisted with the same 4-5-1 formation as his team forced a series of corners, albeit with little end product.

Keith Fahey then saw his low shot blocked in a crowded penalty area as the ball dropped from a Sebastian Larsson corner kick, but Blues were still looking toothless.

Phil Jagielka denied Jerome with a perfectly-timed tackle in the box as he ran onto a through ball, but the lone striker was becoming increasingly isolated.

When a Scott Dan free-kick drifted aimlessly out for a free-kick with intended target Ridgewell well-marked, it was clearly time to change things.

Fahey was replaced by gigantic striker Nikola Zigic, as manager Alex McLeish switched to 4-4-2.

But Everton could have doubled their lead when Seamus Coleman fired a low drive which Foster got down well to save a minute later.

Bowyer almost restored parity with 17 minutes left but his acrobatic bicycle kick went well-over the bar, after good work from Hleb to create the chance.

Scott Dann then left Johnson, his own teammate on the deck as both tried to get on the end of a loose aerial ball.

Coleman then rode his luck after appearing to block a subsequent cross with his hand inside the box.

McLeish swapped Jerome for Matt Derbyshire with 10 minutes remaining, while Moyes opted to shut-up shop by swapping Yakubu for defender Johnny Heitinga.

Everton pulled everyone behind the ball as they looked to protect their lead, but could have lost it when Derbyshire snuck round the back to receive Ferguson's well-placed pass.

But the substitute seriously over-hit his cut back with several teammates missing it as they raced into the box.

It summed up Blues' performance.

Carr then saw his right-wing cross punched away by Howard, as Blues poured forward in vein to find an equaliser.

But Everton finished the job in stoppage time when Cahill powered home a close range header from Baines' cutback, as Blues' proud unbeaten home record meekly evaporated.