12.08.2017 18:24 h

Rooney joy at 'special' return to Everton

Wayne Rooney hailed his match-winning return to Everton as a "special moment" after the England striker bagged the decisive goal in Saturday's 1-0 victory over Stoke.

Rooney rejoined Everton in the close-season after 13 years with Manchester United and he marked his first 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."