Larsson played alongside Alexander Hleb as a youngster at Arsenal

Birmingham City midfielder Sebastian Larsson has praised team-mate Alexander Hleb for setting up his goal in Blues' 1-1 draw at Fulham on Saturday.

Hleb's mazy first-half run ended with a sublime pass to Larsson, who found the net for the first time this season.

"I pointed to him after I scored because I thought it was his goal," the Sweden international told BBC WM.

"It was a terrific run and he had the vision to look up and spot me. It was nice for me to get on the scoresheet."

Hleb, who signed on loan from Barcelona in August, was handed his first start in four matches at Craven Cottage, having been left on the bench against Stoke City, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Blues remain in the bottom half of the Premier League, despite losing just one of their last seven matches.

"It's about turning some of the draws into wins," said Larsson. "We've picked up five points from the last three games, two of them coming away from home, so we're on the right track and it's encouraging."

Alex McLeish's side face local rivals Aston Villa at St Andrew's in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup on Wednesday evening.

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