Bruce fury over clincher by Rooney

Everton 1 Birmingham 0

Bruce saw his keeper Maik Taylor jostled by both Duncan Ferguson and Alan Stubbs before the ball dropped invitingly for Rooney to lash home his third goal in four games to ensure Everton's 1-0 win at Goodison Park.

And afterwards Bruce said: "I do not want to blast referees, that is pointless. But week in week out we see decisions given in favour of the goalkeeper when he is challenged like that.

"How often do we not see attackers penalised when the ball is in the air and the keeper is jostled like that. There was two of them challenging him.

"These days situations like that are usually given as fouls against the keeper, this time it was not. The ball has dropped down and Rooney has lashed it into the net.

He added: "This is the second time we have been to this city this season and had decisions go against us. It was a dodgy penalty at Liverpool and now this decision. It has cost us points, that is vital. How often do you see players go up with the keeper and not be penalised?

"We definitely deserved something, especially in the first half when we were the better team. But our Achilles heel is that we lack the cutting edge, the killer instinct to finish teams off when we are on top."

Even Everton's number two Alan Irvine, standing in for boss David Moyes at the press conference, agreed that the goal could easily have been ruled out. He said: "We would not have been surprised to see the goal disallowed. It could easily have been a free-kick. You are never sure these days when you see players go up with goalkeepers like that.

"The decision can go either way we were fortunate it went our way."

And with the transfer window opening next week, Irvine underlined Everton's clear refusal to even contemplate selling star asset Rooney, despite more speculation about his future.

Irvine said: "Wayne is an Evertonian and has made no secret of that fact. He has never mentioned one word about leaving if we do not get into the Champions League.

"It has never been an issue and he has no desire to leave the club."

And Irvine emphasised the importance of handing Rooney carefully at the moment.

He said: "Wayne came off the bench to make an impact, just like he has a couple of times recently.

"But that was what he was doing last season. If people think back they will realise he has his greatest impacts from the substitutes' bench.

"He gives everyone a lift. The supporters and the players. And it takes a bit of pressure off him.

"There have been games this season when he has found things difficult playing from the start, everybody has seen that.

"This is helping him, we are not planning to do it all the time but it has worked in the last few games."

EVERTON: Martyn, Hibbert, Stubbs, Unsworth, Naysmith, Carsley (Rooney 45), Nyarko (Yobo 85), Gravesen, Kilbane, Radzinski (Jeffers 78), Ferguson.

BIRMINGHAM: Taylor, Kenna (Kirovski 78), Cunningham, Upson, Lazaridis, Johnson, Savage, Clemence, Hughes (Cisse 67), Forssell, John (Morrison 54).

Referee: R Styles (Hampshire).