Bournemouth manager Scott Parker felt his side proved a point after bouncing back from their humiliating FA Cup defeat to Boreham Wood with a 3-1 win over Birmingham.
Goals from Ryan Christie, Dominic Solanke – his 20th of the season – and Jaidon Anthony – saw the Cherries climb back up to second place in the Championship table.
The hosts were given a scare when Onel Hernandez briefly reduced the deficit to 2-1 two minutes after Bournemouth midfielder Jefferson Lerma had been sent off.
Parker said: “I thought in the first half we looked every bit of a top side.
“I asked my players to give us a reaction and give the fans a reaction to what happened on Sunday and I thought in the first half we were exceptional.
“Two at half time could easily have been three or four.
“The second half changed the game but even after they scored we showed big character to score and make it 3-1. That gave us a bit of oxygen and from there we had to hold on.
“I am very pleased with the result and the reaction of the team because after Sunday the players were broken a little bit and disappointed.
“They proved a point tonight.”
Christie opened the scoring in the 17th minute by tucking in Philip Billing’s cross from close range.
The hosts doubled their lead 14 minutes before half-time with Christie this time the provider.
Christie played in Solanke with a precise slide-rule pass and the former Chelsea and Liverpool striker fired into the bottom corner with an unerring first-time finish.
The game threatened to turn on its head after a mad two minutes in which Bournemouth had Lerma sent off and Birmingham pulled a goal back.
Lerma was shown a straight red card in the 67th minute for a late lunge on Blues substitute Hernandez, who promptly fired home with a deflected shot.
It could have been 2-2 moments later when Lukas Jutkiewicz saw his effort from point-blank range turned behind by Travers.
But Anthony sealed the points with 16 minutes to go with a neat finish into the corner after a jinking run into the penalty area.
Birmingham manager Lee Bowyer said: “We gifted them two goals and missed a couple of chances ourselves in the first half.
“After the first goal we lost a bit of confidence and the second one we conceded was just as bad.
“In the second half we had a right go, put some great balls into the box and asked good questions of their defenders.
“We deserved the goal and once they went down to 10 men we had some good chances. We did not take the chances and that is the difference, they were a bit more clinical.
“They go up the other end and score and it is game over but I cannot ask for any more of my players.”
