Everton striker Wayne Rooney has claimed that his equalising goal during this afternoon's Merseyside derby with Liverpool at Anfield is among the highlights of his illustrious career.
Jurgen Klopp's side dominated a one-sided match for the most part, but failed to build on Mohamed Salah's opener and were eventually left to rue their missed opportunities when Rooney rescued a point from the penalty spot in the final 15 minutes.
The goal was Rooney's first in a Merseyside derby having failed to score in four during his previous spell with the Toffees, and he already regards the moment among the most treasured of his time in football.
"It's right up there. Lovren kicked the ball away so I was walking over to get it and I was just trying to compose myself. All I kept thinking was, 'You can't miss this penalty, you just can't!' It was such a big moment in the game. I was delighted with it," he told reporters.
"I was just as delighted with the character that we showed because physically, for the whole team, it was a difficult game. We have done well the last couple of weeks, there have been some good performances and good results.
"The main thing is we have made it harder to play against us. We were conceding goals too easy, silly goals. We knew if we corrected that, we would get chances. That is what we have done. We have gone solid and made ourselves hard to beat."
Everton have now picked up seven points from the last nine on offer in the Premier League to climb into the top half of the table.
Barney Corkhill
