Zarate salvages Blues point

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Joleon Lescott looked to have boosted the Toffees push for a Champions League spot with a 78th-minute header, his ninth goal of the season.

But within five minutes, substitute Zarate hammered a 20-yard drive past Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard to salvage a share of the spoils for the home side.

Although Bolton's win against West Ham gave the Trotters a lifeline, City remain two points above the bottom three and have a better goal difference than those below them.

The home side were forced to make a change after 23 minutes when Sebastian Larsson limped out of the action to be replaced by Cameron Jerome.

A mix-up between Liam Ridgewell, Stephen Kelly and Maik Taylor almost presented Lescott with a gift but his shot flew into the side-netting.

James McFadden dinked the ball across the area and picked out Jerome whose header back across goal beat Howard but struck the post and rebounded to safety. Everton retaliated and Andrew Johnson managed to get goal-side of Ridgewell after being put through by Ayegbeni Yakubu but his low shot flew across the face of goal.

As the game wore on Birmingham pushed harder and it needed Howard to make a superb double save to keep his side on level terms, stopping Rahdi Jaidi's volley and McFadden's follow-up.

But after 78 minutes Lescott put Everton ahead, heading Yakubu's flick-on in for his ninth goal of the campaign.

City roared back and Zarate curled his free-kick past Howard to rescue a point.