Birmingham City 2-2 Sunderland

Stern John stunned his old club with a last minute leveller as Roy Keane's Sunderland once again showed never-say-die spirit in spades at St Andrew's.

After getting their season off to a flyer with a last-gasp win over Tottenham on Saturday, Keane's men refused to accept defeat after sub Garry O'Connor gave Birmingham City an 82nd minute lead.

After heading against the crossbar a minute later, John - who left St Andrew's for the north-east last season - pounced to bundle home after Ross Wallace's 90th minute free-kick.

It was a dramatic ending to a low-key game which Blues looked like shading through a first-half own-goal from Paul McShane, until Michael Chopra's stunning 75th minute leveller.

Blues new boy O'Connor swept home a clinical left foot effort to seemingly end Keane's fine start as a Barclays Premier League boss - before John pounced to level.

Keane had made four changes after the opening day win with Chopra given his first start, and the new-look visitors started full of confidence.

Wallace was key to most of the Black Cats' early moves down the left and he created a second minute chance for Dickson Etuhu, who headed well wide.

Steve Bruce's men responded through Olivier Kapo, who got behind Halford before hitting a low deep cross which was well held by Craig Gordon in the visitors' goal.

But the longer the first half went on the more chances came at a premium, with neither Blues goalkeeper Colin Doyle nor £9million-man Gordon having much work to do.

Sebastian Larsson got in a vital interception in front of goal in the 26th minute to block a dangerous cross from Sunderland captain Dean Whitehead - back in midfield - then Doyle palmed away the resulting corner.

McShane contributed to a brief spell of Sunderland pressure with an ambitious overhead kick in the box before playing an unfortunate part in the Blues' 28th-minute opener.

Larsson's free-kick was headed across goal by Stephen Kelly and the ball struck McShane on the chest, diverting it over the line past a helpless Gordon.

Briefly rattled, Sunderland almost presented the home side with another golden opportunity two minutes later when Nyron Nosworthy lost possession to Forssell on the edge of his own box.

At the other end, David Connolly's appeals for a penalty after falling under Kelly's challenge were waved away by referee Keith Stroud, bringing Keane out of the dugout to protest.

Edwards came close to firing a spectacular equaliser in the 42nd minute but he blazed his rising effort over the bar after finding space on the edge of the Blues box.

Larsson's delightful little lob into the box in the 55th minute set up a chance for the on-rushing Gary McSheffrey but the alert Gordon just beat him to clear.

Keane had seen enough and made a double substitution on the hour, with  John replacing Connolly and Liam Miller on for captain Whitehead.

Then after Edwards saw a deflected effort sail into Doyle's arms, Keane went for broke - replacing right-back Halford with another striker, former Cork City man Roy O'Donovan.

The tactic appeared to have paid off handsomely in the 75th minute when Chopra latched onto an Etuhu ball and fired a stunning left-foot shot past Doyle from 18 yards.

Birmingham responded seven minutes later through substitute O'Connor, who was fed a delightful ball by Forssell on the left of the Sunderland box and finished clinically after wrong-footing McShane.

In a dramatic finale, there was still time for John to head against the crossbar from point-blank range after great work down the right by Carlos Edwards - who went off with what appeared to be a hamstring problem immediately afterwards.

Sunderland were down to ten men for the last seven minutes - but they pressed and Wallace was awarded his final minute set-piece.

His deflected free-kick was brilliantly parried by Doyle but fell to Nosworthy, who headed back across the face of goal for John to head in and break home hearts.