Milwall - 2 Birmingham - 2 (Birmingham win 4-3 on penalties): Birmingham moved into the quarter-finals of the English League Cup with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory over Millwall after a 2-2 draw in extra time.
The visitors were successful with four of their five kicks, while Barry Hayles' and Ben May's misses proved costly for Colin Lee's team.
Julian Gray and Emile Heskey had twice put Birmingham ahead but excellent equalising goals from Alan Dunne and Marvin Elliott ensured the match went to a shoot-out.
After initially appearing considerably superior, Birmingham ended the game in unconvincing style, allowing their opponents to shake off the lack of confidence which has anchored them to the bottom of the Championship to recover from an early goal.
But if Millwall ended the 90 minutes with a strut in their step a large amount of the credit must go to Irishman Dunne.
The midfielder's equaliser was by some way the most memorable moment of the game - as he shook off a clumsy attempt at a foul from Walter Pandiani and curled the ball into the roof of the net from 20 yards despite an acute angle.
A large police presence outside the ground was designed to ensure that there would be no repeat of the riots which marred this fixture the last time it was played, in the 2002 play-offs.
Within minutes of the new chairman Peter de Savary introducing himself to an applauding audience, however, a section of Millwall fans in the East Stand ripped out the plastic sheeting confining them to its central areas and swarmed towards the corner closest to the visiting supporters.
Whatever their aims, they backfired. A short period of angry chanting and gesticulating ended when police arrived inside the ground and Birmingham took the lead.
Mario Melchiot's perseverance on the right created the opportunity, the ball then worked across the forward line until Emile Heskey fed Julian Gray and his shot from 15 yards flew into the far corner.
By the interval Birmingham's fans had enjoyed a goal, but had also seen four arrests and the premature closure of the catering kiosk in the visiting end due to threats made to the staff.
Denied a half-time cup of tea they were probably feeling as cold as their team appeared when, within 15 minutes of the restart, Dunne's intervention took away their lead and took the game into extra-time.
Emile Heskey put Birmingham back in the driving seat before the teams swapped sides for the last time, but Marvin Elliott dragged Millwall back into the match four minutes from the end of extra-time. It was, however, only a stay of execution.
Guardian Service
MILLWALL: Pidgeley, Ifil (Fangueiro 29), Paul Robinson, Livermore, Craig, Wright, Morris (Simpson 98), Elliott, Dunne, Asaba (May 11), Hayles. Subs Not Used: Vincent, Braniff. Booked: Fangueiro, Craig, Paul Robinson. Goals: Dunne 57, Elliott 116.
Birmingham: Vaesen, Melchiot, Martin Taylor, Upson, Clapham, Pennant, Clemence (Jarosik 90), Butt, Gray (Lazaridis 105), Pandiani (Dunn 62), Heskey. Subs Not Used: Maik Taylor, Tebily. Booked: Gray, Upson, Butt. Goals: Gray 10, Heskey 102.
Referee: G Poll (Hertfordshire).
