eplmatches.com

James McFadden’s penalty earned a point for Birmingham which lifted his side out of the relegation zone.

Click here to watch highlights

The Hammers started superbly and went ahead when Freddie Ljungberg smashed the ball in from close range following Carlton Cole’s flick-on.

But the home side spurned several good chances to extend that lead and McFadden’s penalty levelled the scores after he was felled by Lucas Neill.

West Ham’s Lee Bowyer was sent off for a lunge on Damien Johnson late on.

Bowyer’s red card was one of the few incidents of note in a lifeless second period.

Mikael Forssell had the best chance of the half but was unlucky to see his cross-shot drift inches wide after a neat turn.

But an away win would have been harsh on a West Ham side looking to follow up victories over Manchester United, Fulham and Liverpool by winning a fourth successive home match.