Birmingham claimed their first home league victory of the season with a narrow 1-0 triumph over Oxford thanks to Paik Seung-ho’s winner.
The South Korea international struck just before the interval, converting Ethan Laird’s centre to inflict a third successive Sky Bet Championship defeat on Gary Rowett’s outfit.
Paik’s effort was sufficient to separate the two teams and maintain the hosts’ unbeaten start to the campaign.
The visitors had already been beaten by a single goal, and the pattern was extended.
Oxford boss Rowett was making a return to the club where he spent three seasons as a player and managed Birmingham in two different spells.
The last time he was at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park in a professional capacity was the final day of the 2023-24 campaign when the Blues were relegated to the third tier.
But the club has been rebuilt under new boss Chris Davies and the momentum has carried over into this season.
Oxford’s best moments came during the opening exchanges and it took a fine save from Ryan Allsop to prevent Cameron Brannagan from firing them into a 16th-minute lead with a drive from the edge of the area.
But the clearest chances of the opening half fell to Kyogo Furuhashi.
The Japanese forward, signed from Rennes for an undisclosed fee this summer, was presented with two clear, yet very different, opportunities.
He side-footed wide after Willum Willumsson sliced the U’s defence wide open, and he then nodded over from inside the six-yard box after a cross from the left by Demarai Gray.
Birmingham finally made their pressure count four minutes before the interval.
Laird, deputising at left-back for Alex Cochrane who picked up an injury during last week’s victory at Blackburn, drove down the outside.
Paik hung back as the former Manchester United man crossed low into the area and his first-time shot travelled through a couple of yellow-shirted bodies and across Jamie Cumming into the corner of the net.
After the break, Birmingham dominated possession without creating too much in terms of forcing Cumming into direct action.
Gray saw one fierce drive deflect over the crossbar, but Allsop in the home goal was a virtual spectator until stoppage time when Oxford almost grabbed an equaliser.
Substitute Stan Mills fed the ball in from the right and Mark Harris reacted first, only for his side-foot finish to fly the wrong side of the upright.
The managers
Birmingham’s Chris Davies:
To follow…
Oxford’s Gary Rowett:
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