IT’S the Chinese New Year of the rabbit – and Birmingham City fittingly pulled another one out of the hat to salvage a deserved share of an absorbing game.

Carson Yeung and Peter Pannu will no doubt raise a glass or two in toasting Craig Gardner as well as to future health and happiness in 2011.

Gardner kept his nerve to lash in the equaliser from the penalty spot in the 77th minute, carrying on where he left off at St Andrew’s a week ago in the Carling Cup semi-final.

By the end of the game you could hardly tell which side had had the millions of petro-dollars lavished on it as Blues were the more confident and accomplished, playing some bright and neat football.

But they were also effective enough with it, too, going into Nikola Zigic and getting balls in the box as and when they could.

It did appear pretty grim as Manchester led 2-1 at the interval.

But Blues just don’t go quietly – they tend to rouse in second halves.

They equalised the first time through Zigic – although David Bentley’s 23rd-minute free-kick might, in fact, have gone straight in – and even seemed likely to pinch it after Patrick Vieira’s clumsy foul on Kevin Phillips.

In what has become a familiar refrain, Blues didn’t get out of the blocks smartly enough and Manchester capitalised.

There were only three-and-a-half minutes on the clock when Carlos Tevez turned a shot from the right of the area just inside the far post.

It was soft from Blues’ perspective as Manchester kind of picked their way through the bodies to the opening.

David Silva jinked his way into the area from the right and Gardner toe-ended it off him and into the path of Tevez whose swivelled attempt went through the legs of the diving Martin Jiranek and bobbled just inside the post.

Manchester, buoyed by the start, then carried on in a swagger and Blues were struggling, chasing shadows. But they got themselves together and Zigic, with a measured lob-volley from Gareth Barry’s poor clearance straight to him, forced Joe Hart into a tip-over save.