Chelsea lost their second EPL match in-a-row, when they were denied by a terrific display of shot-stopping from Birmingham keeper Ben Foster.

Lee Bowyer’s 17^th-minute left-foot strike from Cameron Jerome’s knock-down was Birmingham’s only shot on goal.

But it was enough for all three points as a combination of Foster’s agility and the frame of the goal kept Chelsea at bay.

Foster made an early misjudgement before the goal, allowing Salomon Kalou a chance which he poked wide.

But he was almost unbeatable thereafter. He denied Didier Drogba three times in the opening half, the second of those saves, on 24 minutes, a world-class stop low to his left.

And the angle of post and crossbar came to Foster’s rescue when Drogba finally got a header past him from Florent Malouda’s left-wing cross on bb minutes.

After half-time, with Birmingham virtually encamped in the last third of the pitch, Foster was on-hand again to deny Kalou twice as the Chelsea striker latched onto a stray backpass.

And centre-back Roger Johnson’s last-ditch tackle denied Ramires, before Kalou blazed the rebound over.

And on 76 minutes, he pulled off another wonder stop to divert Branislav Ivanovic’s bullet header from Drogba’s left-wing corner.