Crowd trouble mars Birmingham's win

Hundreds of police with helmets and plastic shields ringed the pitch and forced fans back in the melee that erupted with the final whistle at St Andrews.

“That sours it a bit for us,” Birmingham manager Alex McLeish told Sky Sports Television.  The Football Association condemned the scenes of disorder that came on the eve of England hearing on Thursday the outcome of their bid to host the 2018 World Cup and opened an investigation.

Television images showed fans ripping up and throwing seats in the stands while others lobbed flares into groups of spectators. The match at St Andrews was heading for extra time until Birmingham's Serbian striker Nikola Zigic latched on to a low cross to grab the 84th-minute winner against last year's beaten finalists.

Birmingham had taken the lead against the run of play with a 12th-minute penalty after Lee Bowyer was bundled to the ground by Richard Dunne. Sebastian Larsson slotted home from the spot but his strike was cancelled out in the 30th minute by Gabriel Agbonlahor.

A 69th-minute penalty by Grant Leadbitter was enough to send Ipswich, through at a cold and wet Portman Road.