Maik Taylor returned to haunt his former manager Kevin Keegan as struggling Manchester City were held at home by Birmingham City.
The Birmingham goalkeeper, who is on a season-long loan from Fulham, produced a breathtaking display to frustrate the Citizens, who have now not won in 13 Premiership fixtures.
Their failure to build on their midweek cup exploits at Tottenham was a huge disappointment and they remain perilously close to the foot of the table.
A disappointed Keegan said: "We had enough chances to have won several games. Our performances have been better than our results, which is a fact.
"But the table doesn't lie and we are four points clear of the relegation places." Keegan paid tribute to Taylor, a player he bought while in charge at Fulham, adding: "Maik proved he is a Premiership keeper of the highest class.
"Two or three of the saves he made were world class, which he had no right to make." Birmingham manager Steve Bruce admitted Taylor was his side's saviour in a below par performance.
"I hope all the pay-per-view viewers ask for their money back. My father paid £6.99 and he will be complaining bitterly. They deserve a refund," was Bruce's honest appraisal.
The disappointing opening half saw only two clear-cut chances created, with both falling to the home side.
Taylor made a brilliant save low to his left to keep out Antoine Sibierski's header and then he flung himself to his right to keep out a fiercely struck drive from defender Michael Tarnat.
The second half followed a similar pattern with the home side having the lion's share of the possession but unable to find a way past Taylor.
The keeper saved his best till last and in the 76th minute made a heroic double stop, to keep out Jon Macken's shot and then miraculously to turn Sibierski's follow up header onto an upright.
The keeper also enjoyed a slice of luck as Tarnat's drive deflected off substitute Christophe Dugarry, but fortunately went straight to him.
Yet in the dying minutes Birmingham might have snatched victory as they squandered two gilt-edged openings.
An angled drive from substitute Clinton Morrison was spilled by Citizens goalkeeper David James but luckily went behind for a corner.
Then another opportunity fell to Damien Johnson who, with time to pick his spot, fired disappointingly wide from the edge of the penalty area.