The Black Cats had their winless run extended to nine matches upon succumbing to the defeat. They are now in 15th spot with 38 points, five ahead of 18-placed Blackpool.

Elmohamady stated before the match that he hopes to open his Sunderland account. However, his efforts were far from enough for his side to avoid a loss.

Sebastian Larsson opened the scoring before Craig Gardner doubled Birmingham's lead on 41 and 66 minutes respectively.

Sunderland got the upper hand most of the first half but failed to translate their dominance into goals.

They also created some scoring chances after the interval, albeit to no avail.