English FA Premiership: Birmingham City 0 Everton 1 Steve Bruce described another impotent display by Birmingham City's strikers as Groundhog Day; for Everton, Saturday's mind-numbing affair was a case of grinding out a victory.

Not that that bothered the Everton midfielder Thomas Gravesen, whose second-half penalty conversion secured his side's fifth away win of the season. "We just take one game at a time and we don't really care what the public thinks," he said.

Everton's captain Alan Stubbs was equally unrepentant after a victory that ensured a disappointing week, with defeats by Chelsea in the league and Arsenal's youngsters in the League Cup, ended on a high note. "We are hard to beat, we don't give a lot away and we are nicking wins," he said. "If you can do that then it's a good recipe."

Everton did not so much steal a win here as have it handed to them by Muzzy Izzet's deliberate handball that conceded the decisive penalty and ended his participation in the game. And for those in search of the beautiful game, Everton's recipe for success - playing with a lone striker in Marcus Bent and packing the midfield - adds up to an indigestible dish.

In fairness to their manager David Moyes, he is making the best use of limited resources and the end is justifying the means. Lying third, six points behind Chelsea and four clear of fourth-placed Bolton, a team who last season flirted with relegation are firmly on course for Europe.

"It looks that way, doesn't it?" added Gravesen. "We know what we can do and we believe strongly in the team. All Evertonians know what this team is capable of. All the guys here are working hard and trying to create something. It was difficult circumstances with our pre-season and all the rumours, but we all stuck together and tried to make the best of it."

Some of those rumours concerned Gravesen's future at Goodison Park. The Danish international is out of contract at the end of the season and has yet to sign an extension, but Moyes hopes he has an ace up his sleeve to persuade him to stay. "He wants to play for a team that's qualified for Europe," said the manager. "Although we're not shouting about it, we might have as good a chance as anybody."

At the start of the campaign Bruce had good cause to think the same, especially after a summer recruitment drive that brought in, among others, Emile Heskey, Jesper Gronkjaer, Mario Melchiot, Izzet and Julian Gray. But only Gray, a Bosman signing from Crystal Palace, has impressed. By contrast, Heskey and Gronkjaer have struggled.

Heskey has scored only twice and was denied a third when, with the Blues looking more effective with 10 men than their full complement, he had a header cleared off the line by Tony Hibbert. The abiding memory, however, is of him blasting two chances over.

Later, with stoppage-time imminent, Dwight Yorke followed suit to ensure the Blues once again failed to score. Indeed, their tally for the season is less than Spurs and Arsenal amassed in one game, and Birmingham's defenders are beginning to feel the strain.

"It does put you under pressure when you are doing your job, knowing we're having problems scoring," said Matthew Upson. "It can be soul-destroying."