Rooney was thrown in from the outset in Everton’s Premier League opener and did not disappoint, with his header late in the first half enough to secure a 1-0 victory against Stoke.
“On a personal level scoring the winning goal at Goodison Park is a special moment,” England’s all-time top scorer told broadcasters after the match.
“It doesn’t get much better. 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.”
Ronald Koeman said “There was one player in an Everton shirt today who from the first second to the last second was comfortable on the pitch,” the Everton boss said. “He made every decision the right one and he scored a great goal from a great cross from Dominic.
“But in difficult moments in the game he showed his experience. He was clever, he was comfortable on the ball. That was different to some other players.
“That’s why we signed Wayne, expecting to show his teammates all that experience and it was really important.”
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