Everton are back and so is Rooney. All in all, it was a great opening day as winning the first fixture is never an easy task. This is even harder against Stoke, a team obviously notorious for being far too stubborn for their own good. We were never in trouble from anything Stoke threw at us and even as the game dragged on Keane and Jagielka remained in control. This was up until Shaqiri let fly and produced a breathtaking stop from Jordan Pickford, who is most certainly going to be revered amongst the Gwladys soon enough if he isn’t already.
These performances may be overshadowed by Rooney’s return, and don’t get me wrong, Rooney was on another level, but it would be amiss to not mention Gueye, Calvert-Lewin and Keane. The three were exceptional and should receive plaudits.
Anyway, here’s my ratings in full for what is a good 3 points for the Blues heading into a tough run.
