Garry Monk, serving a one-game suspension, watched from the stands as his Leeds United team strengthened their spot in the Championship playoff positions with a 3-1 win away to Birmingham City on Friday night.

The victory was Leeds's 20th in the Championship this season and has left them fourth in the table on 64 points, while Birmingham stay down in 14th position after suffering their 14th defeat in 35 matches.

Birmingham had a half-chance in the seventh minute when David Davis met a dropping ball inside the Leeds box, but the midfielder's effort from a narrow angle found the side-netting of the away side's goal.

Che Adams was next to come close for a dominant Birmingham in the 13th minute, but the striker, who had been given the freedom of the Leeds box, could not beat experienced goalkeeper Rob Green at his near post.

It was Leeds that made the breakthrough in the 14th minute, however, when Chris Wood burst into the Birmingham box before lifting his effort over the onrushing Tomasz Kuszczak.

Both teams had half-chances in the period that followed, although it was Leeds that looked the likeliest to add to the scoring, and Stuart Dallas fizzed an effort just over the Birmingham crossbar seven minutes before the break.

The home side came close to levelling in the 43rd minute when Robert Tesche struck a wicked effort towards the top corner, but the ball smashed against the woodwork as Leeds kept their lead intact entering the half-time break.

Birmingham took the game to Monk's side in the early stages of the second period and the hosts came close to an equaliser in the 51st minute when Tesche turned a strike from Davis towards goal, but the ball just cleared the crossbar.

Birmingham then came even closer in the 52nd minute when Adams struck one towards the bottom corner, but Green was on hand to make the save. The equaliser was always coming, however, and it finally arrived in the 63rd minute when Craig Gardner found the bottom corner with a long-range effort.

Birmingham's joy quickly turned to frustration, though, as Leeds regained the lead four minutes later when Wood swept home a low Kalvin Phillips cross from close range for his 22nd Championship goal of the season.

The visitors then wrapped up the points in the 81st minute when Pablo Hernandez released Alfonso Pedraza and the Spaniard swept the ball into the bottom corner to register his first goal for Leeds since joining on loan from Villarreal in the January transfer window.