Birmingham’s new manager Tony Mowbray admitted he was frustrated despite rescuing a dramatic 2-2 draw against Swansea at St Andrew’s.
Substitute Jordan James drilled home from 25 yards in the fifth minute of added time when Blues were struggling to create chances after plenty of opportunities in the first half.
Mowbray thought a point was the least the team deserved in his first game in charge after they dominated for the first hour.
“I thought we could have had scored five goals with the chances we had in the first half,” said Mowbray, who has replaced Wayne Rooney.
“There were chances right in front of the goals where we had shots blocked and then (Siriki) Dembele ran through at the start of the second half – I didn’t see Swansea having those chances.
“I was frustrated that we didn’t win the game, so it was very nice that Luke Williams (Swansea head coach) said we deserved something from it.
“Hopefully, somewhere down the line those chances will go in and we will win 5-2.”
Mowbray admitted it is early days in his reign and accepts there is lots to do.
He added: “There’s a long way to go and it’s a gradual thing because I’ve had three and a half days on the training pitches.
“We have to play forward more – I don’t like teams that ‘horse-shoe’ it around the back and pass it back to the goalkeeper.
“But we kept going to the end and any team that can recover from going goals down is an important trait.
“The players have looked me in the eye and they have bought into what I’m trying to do.”
Swansea took a 36th-minute lead when unmarked defender Harry Darling powered home a bullet header from Josh Tymon’s corner.
That lead lasted just two minutes as Siriki Dembele equalised with a fine solo goal, sprinting away from his marker before curling a low right-footed shot into the far bottom corner of the net.
Darling’s looping header hit the bar before Jamal Lowe got ahead of Dion Sanderson to poke home Tymon’s cross in the 59th minute.
Birmingham looked beaten after tailing off in the last half hour, but James changed all that with a superb strike.
Despite the late setback, Swansea head coach Luke Williams believed the draw was a fair result.
“It was disappointing because there was such little time (after Birmingham’s late equaliser) but if you take the game overall, Birmingham deserved at least a point,” he said.
“We didn’t create enough clear-cut chances to have won – maybe three good chances – but you can’t win a game like that if the other team create three good chances.
“I think we expected a really energetic performance from Birmingham because Tony Mowbray will make sure that happens.
“But we caused ourselves problems because with a team really fired up to press you and be aggressive, we couldn’t afford to play sloppily, especially near your own goal.
“But I think we made the classic mistake of trying to defend the lead out (for the late equaliser).”
Girona 4-2 Barcelona: Hosts secure Champions League football while ending Blaugrana's title hopes
Girona beat Barcelona 4-2 to secure Champions League qualification and gift Real Madrid their 36th LaLiga title.
Madrid, who have lost only once in the league this season, hold a 13-point advantage over second-placed Girona, while Barca dropped to third after Saturday's loss.
The victory saw Girona seal European football for the first time in their history.
A brace from substitute Portu helped LaLiga's surprise package Girona to humble their Catalan rivals.
Andreas Christiansen scored in the third minute to give Barca the lead but Girona hit back a minute later, with LaLiga's top scorer Artem Dovbyk heading in the equaliser.
Robert Lewandowski put the visitors back ahead from the penalty spot just before the break.
However, in his first action after coming off the bench, Portu restored parity before Miguel Gutierrez scored from a rebound two minutes later to turn the match on its head.
And that paved the way for a stunning volley from Portu in the 74th minute to secure the win.
Real Madrid's LaLiga joy must be 'contained' ahead of Bayern meeting
Carlo Ancelotti knows Real Madrid's LaLiga title celebrations must be "contained" as they prepare to take on Bayern Munich.
Madrid were crowned LaLiga champions for a record-extending 36th time on Saturday, after Barcelona lost 4-2 to Girona.
The Blaugrana's defeat followed on from Madrid beating Cadiz 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham and Joselu were on target for Los Blancos, whose coach Ancelotti knows restraint is needed in his team's celebrations, with the Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern coming up on Wednesday.
"It's obviously a contained joy, because the most important game of the season is also very close, but we have to be happy," Ancelotti told Movistar Plus+ before the Barca game had been played.
"These games are difficult to prepare for, because you have Wednesday on your mind. But so far it's been spectacular, our team was steady, with hardly any mistakes. The advantage we have is well deserved.
"A big part [of Madrid's success] was achieved when we started to defend better, with a collective commitment.
"The effort put by the players up front was great, but the injuries early in the season helped us to realise that it wasn't about individuals but putting on a collective effort, and we did great."
Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone, Ancelotti said: "We are very good. It is the seventh victory in a row in the League, a spectacular one as a whole.
"We are very close to winning it and I think we are going to do it with merit.
"It is a celebration taking into account what has to happen on Wednesday. We are all happy with the match, but let's think about Bayern."
Thibaut Courtois, meanwhile, returned from his long injury lay-off to feature for the first time this season.
Ancelotti added: "Thibaut is a very important piece for this team, although [Andriy] Lunin has had a spectacular season and that is a lot of credit to Andriy. But Courtois has returned very well and was decisive. He is doing very well."
Haaland 'back to business' as Guardiola lauds four-goal Man City star in Wolves win
Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland is "back to business" after his four-goal demolition of Wolves that kept Manchester City in touch of Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The Gunner dispatched Bournemouth 3-0 earlier on Saturday but Haaland's first-half hat-trick – including two penalties – started a roaring response from City at Etihad Stadium.
Haaland added his fourth after the interval before Julian Alvarez wrapped up the scoring, with Hwang Hee-Chan's second-half strike a mere consolation in a 5-1 hammering of Wolves.
Victory extended Man City's unbeaten run in the Premier League to 20 games (W16 D4), while they have won each of the last six in a row, netting 4+ goals on five occasions in that run.
Moving just a point with Arsenal and still boasting a game in hand, Guardiola was relieved to see a firing return to form for Haaland, whose April was hampered by injury issues.
"It looks comfortable but it was not," the City manager told Sky Sports. "In the end we created more chances but in the transition we were not precise in the last pass.
"But Erling is back to business. Penalties are a guarantee but the second and fourth [goals] were unbelievable.
"The 20 minutes he [Haaland] played against Nottingham Forest was really good and today as well. We won, but it was so long an injury.
"It is welcome he arrived in the right moment, but we arrive together because Erling and Kevin [De Bruyne] have been out."
Having scored a hat-trick in this exact fixture last season, Haaland became just the third player to score a home treble against the same opponent in consecutive Premier League campaigns.
The Norway talisman also became the third player to score multiple first-half hat-tricks in Premier League history (also against Forest last season), along with Andrew Cole and Michael Owen (two each).
Yet the City forward appeared somewhat annoyed with his late substitution for Alvarez.
"He's a little bit frustrated, but I understand," Guardiola added. "He was frustrated with the referee. With the long balls sometimes they push him and he is pulled. Yes, it is like that."
City will play their game in hand against Tottenham on May 14, with that their chance to move clear of Mikel Arteta's side.
Guardiola insists his team must win all their remaining fixtures to lift the top-flight trophy once more.
"Goal difference is not possible, we cannot draw," he added. "The way Arsenal have been playing has been so good and consistent.
"It's three games, hopefully we win the first and the second and arrive to the third with our destiny in our own hands."
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