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Rooney joy at scoring winner on return to Goodison Park
LONDON: Wayne Rooney hailed his match-winning return to Everton as a “special moment” after the England striker bagged the decisive goal in the 1-0 victory over Stoke.
Rooney rejoined Everton in the close-season after 13 years with Manchester United and he marked his first English Premier League appearance for the Toffees since 2004 with a bullet header in first half stoppage-time at Goodison Park.
It was Rooney’s first Everton goal since he netted against Leeds 4,869 days ago in April 2004.
The 31-year-old celebrated his winner with a jubilant slide to the turf in front of the Everton fans and later admitted he was ecstatic to get off the mark on his second debut for the club he supported as a boy.
“On a personal level, scoring the winning goal at Goodison Park is a special moment. It doesn’t get much better,” Rooney said.
“To play for this club is a huge deal for me.
“The early games in the season are always tough because you are always finding your rhythm in games.
“We’ve got some tough games coming up so it’s important we got off to a good start.”
Manager Ronald Koeman said Rooney was far from a spent force and showed exactly why he was the right signing for the club.
Rooney’s move divided opinion between those who viewed it as a welcome romantic return and those who felt he was not the right player for Koeman’s new-look side.
“There was one player in an Everton shirt today who was, from the first second to the last, comfortable on the pitch,” said the Dutch manager.
“He made every decision the right one and he scored a great goal from a great cross.
“In difficult moments, he showed his experience.
“That is why we signed Wayne – expecting to show his teammates all that experience, and it was really important,” he said.
Koeman not only believes that Rooney fits perfectly into his plans at Everton but he also thinks he is far from the faded force that many felt he was becoming at United.
“Wayne showed he is still one of the best players in his position and he showed today the player that we expected,” said Koeman.
“A lot of cleverness on the pitch and a great goal and a great header. We can’t ask for more than he showed today.” — Reuters