COVENTRY City remain winless in the New Year after slipping to a 3-2 defeat against Birmingham City in a five-goal thriller.
The Sky Blues twice drew level courtesy of goals from Josh Eccles and Ellis Simms both of which came from the outside the penalty area at St Andrew’s.
However, a brace from Marvin Ducksch and Lewis Koumas strike condemned Coventry to defeat with Frank Lampard’s side winless in their last three matches.
And the Sky Blues had Bobby Thomas sent off in injury time following an altercation with Phil Neumann to compound the away side’s misery.
The result means Coventry remain top of the Championship table, eight points clear of Ipswich Town who have a game in-hand.
The Sky Blues made the worst possible start as Ducksch volleyed in Kai Wagner’s cross from the left at the back post from 12-yards out after just five minutes.
However, the visitors equalised just two minutes later when Ephron Mason-Clark found Eccles in space and the midfielder curled a shot past James Beadle from 25-yards out.
City went close soon after as Simms bullied his way past Jack Robinson only to shoot straight at Beadle from a tight angle in the box.
And Coventry spurned another chance moments later as Beadle pushed Liam Kitching’s header to safety after the defender met Matt Grimes’ free-kick from the right from eight-yards out.
Birmingham punished the Sky Blues on 17 minutes when Koumas rounded Carl Rushworth and squeezed a shot over the line from a tight angle from Patrick Roberts’ perfectly-timed through ball.
The chances continued to flow as Mason-Clark nodded wide at the back post while Ducksch fired narrowly past the post on the slide at the other end.
The final chance of the first half saw Matt Grimes steer a volley straight at Beadle from distance as the Sky Blues found themselves behind at the break.
However, Coventry drew level for a second time on the hour mark when Simms received Jack Rudoni’s pass from the left and fired a low shot back across goal from 20-yards out.
The home side reclaimed the lead three minutes later as Ducksch latched onto another Roberts pass and slid a shot past Rushworth at his near post from the right-hand side of the penalty area.
Coventry dominated possession late on and felt they should have had a penalty in the final minute when Tomoki Iwata pulled Mason-Clark to the ground in the box with the referee unmoved.
Sky Blues defender Thomas received a straight red card in injury time after he appeared to kick out and slap Neumann softly on the back of the head following a coming together between the two players.
