Stephy Mavididi’s late header saw Leicester regain control of the race for promotion from the Championship and condemn relegation-threatened Birmingham to a 2-1 defeat.
Gary Rowett’s men appeared on course to claim what would have been a precious point in their battle for survival after leading goalscorer Jay Stansfield cancelled out Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s opener.
But just as Enzo Maresca’s side looked set to pay the price for their profligacy, Mavididi ensured a dominant performance at the King Power Stadium did not go to waste as the hosts climbed back into top spot.
Both under pressure for completely different reasons, neither the Foxes nor the visitors looked overawed by the occasion.
But it was the attacking prowess of Maresca’s side which enabled them to dominate the opening exchanges, with John Ruddy making a save to deny Dewsbury-Hall and Patson Daka’s pace causing all manner of problems.
Although Blues were losing the battle for territory and possession, they still carried a threat.
Koji Miyoshi tested Mads Hermansen’s handling with a low angled drive before the hosts finally engineered a 28th-minute breakthrough. On target for the second time in as many outings, it was Dewsbury-Hall who produced the finish.
But Blues were the architects of their own downfall, failing to clear Abdul Fatawu’s cross into the area before Daka touched the ball into his team-mate’s path.
Only a tendency to over-elaborate in advanced positions prevented Leicester from establishing a healthier lead before the break.
That came back to bite them in the 45th minute when Hermansen, taking an age to clear his lines after receiving the ball from Wout Faes, saw his kick charged down by Stansfield and fly into the net.
As the hosts regained their composure, substitute James Justin saw an appeal for a penalty waved away by referee David Webb following a tangle with Miyoshi.
Moments after being introduced on the hour mark, Jamie Vardy was left frustrated when Wilfred Ndidi could have found him on the edge of the six-yard box but elected to take an extra touch instead.
With Leicester inexplicably failing to regain the advantage, Ethan Laird nearly fired Blues into a surprise lead when he drifted across the penalty box and flashed a shot just wide of Hermansen’s far post.
Leicester continued to press but, as the contest wore on, so their profligacy increased with Ndidi and Fatawu both guilty of wasting promising openings.
Lee Buchanan made a crucial interception to stop Vardy turning home following a scramble in front of Ruddy, who moments earlier thwarted Mavididi with a fine reaction block.
But Mavididi was not to be denied in the 87th minute when, having been left unmarked, he headed substitute Yunus Akgun’s centre back across goal and past Ruddy.
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time as Al-Hilal denied Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr victory in a 1-1 draw.
Mitrovic netted his 27th Saudi Pro League goal of the campaign after Sadio Mane was harshly judged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area.
Mane stuck out an arm to shield the ball, catching his opponent in the throat, though the contact appeared to have been outside of the box.
Mitrovic made no mistake to keep Al-Hilal's unbeaten campaign going.
The Serbian's spot-kick cancelled out Otavio's first-minute opener, with Ronaldo having set up his compatriot.
Champions Al-Hilal remain 12 points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Pro League standings.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo the provider
Ronaldo leads the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season, though he had to settle for an assist on Friday.
That came from the only chance he created, with the 39-year-old limited to 25 touches, though he did have four shots.
Leeds' belief never wavered as Wembley beckons
Ethan Ampadu said Leeds United's players never let their belief waver despite a poor end to their Championship campaign, with a trip to Wembley now coming up.
Leeds will face either Southampton or West Brom in the play-off final on May 26 after thrashing Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road on Thursday.
The Whites endured a miserable end to their campaign, losing 4-0 at Queens Park Rangers before going down at home to Southampton on the final day, as Ipswich Town claimed automatic promotion behind Leicester City.
But after their emphatic defeat of the Canaries, who they drew with 0-0 in the first leg, Ampadu claimed Leeds never lost their way.
"Towards the end of the season there was a lot of talk about how we were playing, how we weren't on the front foot, how we weren't aggressive or clinical," he told Sky Sports.
"But we always had our belief that on our day, when we are firing, we can be hard for anyone to play against.
"When the front four, five, six play like that, they make the job of us defenders a lot easier.
"Whoever we play in the final it's going to be a hard game but to go in like this, to put in a performance like this, we can take momentum and confidence into it.
"The fans were second to none and we enjoyed their support – now we are going to prepare for the big one."
Georginio Rutter scored one and set up another in the rout, and he put the onus on Leeds to replicate the same level at Wembley.
"It's incredible. Today we go to Wembley," he said.
"We played a good game. I'm happy, everybody is happy. One more game and we will see.
"We played very good. 4-0 is a clean sheet. Today, we were mature. It's a very good performance from the team.
"I want to try my best and help the team. If we play like this [at the final], we have a good chance but we have to play like this."
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