RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL
It’s just like old times for Rooney as Everton old boy seals opening win
THE bright new era at Goodison Park had a sluggish opening 45 minutes. Then, just as the tannoy announcer reported ‘one extra minute’, Sandro Ramirez fed Dominic Calvert-Lewin, whose cross was met with a terrific jump and header from Wayne Rooney. Cue bedlam.
Rooney was never going to be denied the headlines on a first Premier League appearance in 13 years for his boyhood club. After all, he has been writing his own scripts since he announced himself to the world on the same ground with a goal against Arsenal aged 16.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes did not even namecheck him in describing the winner. ‘You know who was always going to be part of the story and that’s how it panned out,’ he said with a grimace.
On an afternoon when Ronald Koeman gave five expensive signings their Everton league debuts, it was the sixth, Rooney, who proved most influential, not just for the quality of his finish — his first goal for the club in 4,870 days — but the way he helped his team-mates get over the line. Not only was half the team new but Koeman also opted for a different system, 3-5-2, which he hastily altered at the interval because it looked disjointed.
Yet Rooney remained above the fray, putting his foot on the ball at the right times and producing the pass of the match which would have given Calvert-Lewin a second goal had it not been for a wonderful last-ditch challenge by Kurt Zouma.
‘It was a great goal by Wayne and he was the one player in an Everton shirt who was comfortable on the pitch from the first second to the last,’ said Koeman. ‘Every decision he made was the right one. In difficult moments of the game, he showed his experience. He was clever on the ball. That is why we signed him, to show his team-mates all that experience.’
And boyish joy too. When Calvert-Lewin swung over a wonderful arced cross, Rooney took advantage of an absent defence to get admirable climb in his leap and power a header past Jack Butland no chance.
He admitted: ‘It was a special moment for me. On a personal note, I am absolutely delighted.’
Rooney’s knee-slide celebration by the corner flag was flamboyant by his standards and he confessed: ‘It was a lot of relief and emotion coming out. I’ve felt at home since my first day back at the training ground. I had been looking forward to this day for a long time.
‘We knew in the first half it wasn’t working, the manager identified that and changed it,’
It was the visitors who looked more comfortable playing three-atthe-back in the opening 45 minutes albeit without troubling Everton’s £30million keeper Jordan Pickford. Despite taking the lead in injurytime, Koeman took off Ashley Williams at the turnaround and sent on Cuco Martina to revert to a 4-4-2.
Everton looked far more cohesive and Stoke’s only chance came at the death when Pickford dived brilliantly to keep out Xherdan Shaqiri’s shot. ‘The team looked nervous on the ball in the first half,’ said Koeman. ‘It was important to change the system and we were more comfortable in the second half without creating big chances.’
Stoke lost Marko Arnautovic to West Ham in the summer and it was only when Peter Crouch and Eric Choupo-Moting came on for the last 18 minutes that they carried much threat. ‘We needed to get to half-time without giving Wayne Rooney a free header. That and the great save from Pickford were the key moments,’ said Hughes. Butland also made a good save to keep out Calvert-Lewin so on balance Everton were worthy winners.
They only lost twice in the league at Goodison last season and could make it a fortress again. With Rooney back, nobody even felt the need to mention Romelu Lukaku and that is an achievement in itself.
everton (3-5-2): Pickford 6.5; Keane 7, Jagielka 7, Williams 5.5 (Martina 45 6); Calvert-Lewin 6.5, Schneiderlin 7 Gueye 7.5, Klaassen 6 (Davies 60 6), Baines 6; Rooney 7, Ramirez 6.5 (Mirallas 77). Subs (not used): Stekelenburg, Besic, Holgate, Lookman. Booked: Martina.
Stoke (3-4-3): Butland 7; Cameron 7, Shawcross 6.5, Zouma 7; Diouf 6.5, Fletcher 6, Allen 6, Pieters 6.5; Shaqiri 6, Berahino 6 (Choupo-Moting 72 6.5), Bojan 5.5 (Crouch 72 6). Subs (not used): Grant, Johnson, Tymon, Adam, Sobhi. Booked: Allen.
referee: Neil Swarbrick 7.