Dean dismissed defender Newcastle Sebastien Bassong for bringing down Emile Heskey to allow Amr Zaki to slot home his ninth Premier League goal from the penalty spot, giving Wigan a 2-0 lead with 17 minutes remaining.

Then Dean handed Newcastle substitute Andrew Carroll a yellow card for diving when it looked as if Newcastle might save a point with a late spot-kick of their own.

Kinnear said: "I can't find words to express his (Dean's) performance. If he gives a penalty for Heskey why couldn't he for Andy Carroll.

"Heskey has done well, thrown himself and lost his balance. But he's 6ft 3in for Christ's sake. The referees fall for it. At the other end Andy Carroll's got hacked down from behind. See it on TV, see it on the tape, it's a clear penalty.

"Even Stevie Bruce said the same but we didn't get it. That sums up his performance.

"In the last 15 minutes I always thought we'd get something out of the game. Then the penalty pops us, but you have to rely on officials to do their job, what they are supposed to do.

"They want respect in the game but what would you say after today. I'm too sick to say anything else."

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Kinnear was also angered by Lee Cattermole's tackle on defender Habib Beye which saw the Newcastle defender carried off and taken to hospital with a potential fracture to his shin.

Cattermole received a yellow card from but Kinnear said: "I'll be kind and call it a reckless challenge. he did the sane to Joey Barton. We know beye has a badly bruised knee but we are not sure if there is a fracture."

To make matters worse for Kinnear he also saw Mark Viduka limp off mid-way through the second-half with a torn groin muscle. Viduka had started the match only because Jose Sanchez Enrique had injured a calf in the warm-up.

At least Kinnear was pleased with the application of his players who battled on after Wigan had taken a 2-0 lead through a Ryan Taylor free-kick and Zaki's penalty.

Newcastle did receive a spot kick of their own in the 87th minute which Danny Guthrie dispatched and they might even have salvaged a point if Damien Duff had not squandered a last-ditch opportunity.

The result, however, was a deserved victory for Bruce, who admits his biggest problem now is to keep his confident team together.

Emile Heskey is a January transfer target for Liverpool while Antonio Valencia has been linked with Real Madrid.

Bruce said: "The vultures will be circling but we have done a good job turning the club around and the last thing we want is to dismantle it. But I have had no offers for any of our players."

Taylor's free-kick was a brilliant strike from a player who has now scored four of his six goals for Wigan against Newcastle.

Bruce said: "His deliveries from set-pieces are as good as I've seen. Shay Given must hate the sight of him. It is an unbelievable art he has got."

Bruce refused to comment on Zaki, who was reported to have been disciplined for returning from a break back home to Egypt two days late.

"Whatever happens in the dressing room I'll keep in-house," said Bruce.

"His daughter has not been well and he has had a difficult couple of months trying to settle. But today he was back to what the Premier League found exciting about him."