Wayne Rooney rages at referee following Birmingham defeat to Sunderland

Birmingham City boss Wayne Rooney blasted the referee following defeat to Sunderland, claiming the Black Cats’ opening goal should not have been allowed.

Former Birmingham man Jobe Bellingham opened the scoring for Sunderland early on as he turned in Jack Clarke’s corner.

Rooney, though, says it should not have been a corner in the first place and claims the fourth official told referee Dean Whitestone it should have been a goal kick instead.

However, a corner was awarded and Sunderland took full advantage before going on to secure a 3-1 win at the Stadium of Light.

“I thought it was a good game actually,” Rooney said. “Both teams were aggressive. Going one-nil down with the officials not seeing the Sunderland player head it out…

“What’s frustrating is the fourth official is stood next to me and he is telling me it’s a goal kick and he’s telling the referee down the earpiece that it’s a goal kick.

“Why is the referee unwilling the listen to the fourth official? We’ve talked about VAR but referees need all the help they can get. Please just listen to your fourth official.

“That’s twice now. Against Southampton away it was a clear penalty. We have to defend the corner better, of course, that’s frustrating.

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Bizarrely, Rooney also claimed after the game that his side’s defending was ‘excellent’ for the most part, despite all Sunderland goals being scored from inside the six-yard box.

He also claimed during his Sky Sports post-match interview that he felt the referee was too easily 'influenced' by the home crowd, despite a baffling incident when Patrick Roberts was essentially yellow carded for being fouled. 

The defeat on Wearside leaves Rooney still yet to win a game since replacing the popular John Eustace and with just one point from a possible 15. 

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