Manchester City - 0 Birmingham - 0 If, as local rumour has it, Kevin Keegan really has lost the dressing-room, his players made a good job of disguising it during a one-sided encounter which saw Birmingham constantly on the back foot and hugely relieved to leave with a point.

Keegan's new-look defence duly featured Daniel van Buyten, a debutant on loan from Marseille, at sweeper. First impressions suggest Van Buyten is a most un-City-like defender. He displayed reassuring, albeit extremely right-footed, poise in possession and won virtually everything in the air.

Although elegant, the long-haired Belgian international - who, apart from two misplaced passes, enjoyed a faultless debut - remained sufficiently pragmatic to deter both Mikael Forssell and Stern John by snide shoves in the back when officialdom looked the other way.

Moreover, extending that right foot to legal effect, he made a vital, impeccably timed, first-half interception to whisk the ball away from the accelerating John.

If David James was well protected in the home goal, the impressive Maik Taylor - on loan from Fulham - had significantly more to do at the other end. Birmingham's goalkeeper made an important early save from an Antoine Sibierski header following Jon Macken's right-wing cross before looking relieved to see Robbie Fowler shoot wide from a Shaun Wright-Phillips centre.

Benefiting from Bruce's deployment of the very right-footed Jeff Kenna as an ersatz left-back, Wright-Phillips thoroughly enjoyed himself down City's right, delivering a stream of crosses throughout the match.

With Nicolas Anelka injured, Macken was granted a rare start but, though he and an unusually energetic Fowler buzzed around to industrious effect, their lack of physical presence dictated that they were too often forced wide or deep by Kenny Cunningham and Darren Purse.

Birmingham's only realistic opening arrived in the 88th minute, when Damien Johnson was offered an inviting shooting chance, and even Bruce conceded: "If Damien had stuck that one in, it would have been unjust."

As another game slipped by without a win Keegan was asked if he is starting to feel the pressure. "I think so. Let's see what happens in the next few games. We can't keep saying we were unlucky. I am going to keep my head down, work hard and keep the players' spirits up. That's my job. If the rest doesn't take care of itself we all know what happens. The league table doesn't lie"