IT WAS a day for unusual sights at Eastlands. Lancashire parading the County Championship Cricket trophy at half-time.

Mario Balotelli smiling. Jack Rodwell employed as a man-marker. Manchester City beating Everton.

But some things don’t change. And referee Howard Webb clearly possesses the uncanny knack to frustrate, outrage and perplex.

Just ask David Moyes and his team, who were left seething after an afternoon in which their brave rearguard action was ultimately undone thanks in part to some poor decisions.

However, this defeat wasn’t just down to the officials. Instead, for once the chasm between the haves and have-nots was exposed as Everton’s own squad shortcomings were made similarly apparent.

The pattern was set from the moment the teamsheets were handed in.

Everton were here to contain, the proverbial bus parked in front of Tim Howard’s goal intent on blunting the attacking threat that has seen City emerge as genuine title challengers this season.

And for two-thirds of the game, it worked. Roberto Mancini’s side huffed and puffed as Everton’s hold over their North West rivals – having won seven of the last eight meetings and four in a row at Eastlands – showed no signs of loosening.

Rodwell’s assignment to track David Silva at every opportunity – even following the Spaniard to the touchline at one point as he received treatment – highlighted the defensive discipline that caused ripples of discontent among the home crowd and forced Mancini to turn to the bench for salvation on the hour.

At this point, the difference in financial clout between the teams became obvious. Who to choose: £26m James Milner, £24m Balotelli or £32m Carlos Tevez?

Mancini plumped for Balotelli and within eight minutes had been rewarded. But not for the first time, City owed a debt to the officials, wrongly awarded a throw-in when Leighton Baines clearly struck the ball against Samir Nasri.

It prompted a move that eventually led to Sergio Aguero running across the Everton backline from right to left before backheeling into the path of Balotelli, whose driven shot from 20 yards deflected off Phil Jagielka and looped beyond Howard. City’s relief was such that even the perennially moody Italian grinned.

But for Everton, the goal illustrated their grumbles with the officials, with an already difficult job made harder by Webb and his cohorts.

The list was lengthy. Substitute Louis Saha – welcomed back into the fold post-Twittergate – aggrieved not to be awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position when blocked by Vincent Kompany. Phil Neville booked for not very much. City players escaping similar censure.

However, the incident that most irked Moyes was a challenge between Kompany and Cahill that saw the Everton man comically booked despite limping out of proceedings.

Replays confirmed what the naked eye feared; Kompany had gone over the top and stamped on Cahill’s leg, the Australian fortunate to escape a more serious injury than heavy bruising. Small wonder the indignation from the visiting dugout.

Likening the match as going into a gunfight without a knife, Moyes strengthened the analogy by selecting a team without any ready-made firepower, leaving striking triumvirate Saha, Apostolos Vellios and Denis Stracqualursi on the bench.