Ireland makes the most of City chance

Man City 2 Everton 0

Ireland, 17, was handed his first Premiership start by Pearce and pulled the strings from the centre of midfield as the Merseysiders slumped to their sixth defeat in seven league outings this term with Danny Mills' rasping drive and Darius Vassell's second sealing City's 2-0 win.

Cork-born Ireland said: "I was very nervous to start with - but once I got my first touch I was happy.

"All the players have encouraged me, and I'm very happy to get into the first team.

"If you're playing (well) Stuart Pearce will definitely give you a chance."

Goalscorer Mills was impressed with Ireland's contribution, adding: "Stevie has shown some fantastic touches. He opened them up a few times and picked them off."

Vassell finished Everton off in stoppage time, ending City's own three-match losing streak and cementing their place in the top six.

Everton boss David Moyes has admitted some of his stars may not be up to the task of dragging his rock-bottom side off the foot of the Premiership.

Moyes' men are now anchored to the bottom of the table, two points adrift of Sunderland, West Brom and Fulham, with just one win and one goal to show for a sorry campaign which started with such heady expectation. The Scot has been looking for signs of fight and fire in the battle to haul the club out of trouble. Worryingly, there are some who do not look capable of meeting the challenge.

"You should find out more about people in adversity but I have been saying that for three or four weeks now," Moyes said. "We will find out who can handle it, the ones who have enough to take the ball under pressure, who can carry on playing and doing the right things and we are beginning to see the ones who can't."

Although they were no better than City during a drab north-west derby, Everton did look like snatching a precious point until Mills rifled home an unstoppable 25-yard shot 18 minutes from time. It was the former England international's first Premiership strike since December 2002 and although Kevin Kilbane went close to levelling shortly afterwards and Sylvain Distin needed to make a superb goal-line clearance to deny James Beattie in a goalmouth scramble, once City were ahead, the visitors never looked like pulling back.

Only Arsenal have a longer unbroken spell in the top flight than Everton, who have not been relegated since sealing promotion in 1954.

However, their chronic lack of goals puts the Goodison Park outfit's status in real peril and with a trip to high-flying Tottenham and a home encounter with Chelsea to follow immediately after the international break, there is no likelihood of an upturn in fortunes, although Moyes is refusing to discuss relegation.

"It's too early to talk about it," he said, avoiding mention of the dreaded word. "But we've got to get away from the position we're in.

"We all have to do much better. The boys lack confidence. I've had these tests before and I'll have them again. It's something we all have to deal with."

Opta Stat: Man City kept their first league clean sheet since the opening day of the season.

Everton have scored once in seven Premiership games this season, making them the lowest scorers in the division.

MAN CITY: D James, D Mills, R Dunne, S Distin, S Jordan, K Musampa (63 L Croft) , J Barton, A Sibierski, S Ireland, A Cole (90 S Jihai) , D Vassell

EVERTON: N Martyn, M Ferrari, J Yobo, D Weir, J Nuno Valente, L Osman (75 S Davies), T Cahill, P Neville, K Kilbane, M Bent (63 J Beattie), J McFadden (70 D Ferguson)

Referee: M Halsey.