Former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney said he was not prepared for the pressure that accompanied his rise to elite level soccer as a teenager and he turned to drink to cope with his problems.
Derby County manager Rooney began his playing career with boyhood club Everton, scoring his first Premier League goal in spectacular fashion as a 16-year-old against Arsenal in 2002.
Having waited almost a year for another shot at top-level management, Frank Lampard has been tasked with as tough a challenge as it gets: resurrecting an Everton side in turmoil.
It is not the best time to be a Toffees supporter, and protests outside Goodison Park have become commonplace.
Fans have called for the board to be sacked, pleaded with the club last summer not to appoint former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, and made clear — in graffiti as well — their opposition to the proposed hiring of Vitor Pereira over Lampard.
LIVERPOOL — Everton's first match of the post-Rafa Benitez era began with a 1-0 Premier League defeat by Aston Villa on Saturday amid a tense and feisty atmosphere at Goodison Park where the visiting team were hit by missiles thrown from the crowd.
A lively first half ended with Emiliano Buendia scoring with a flicked header that arced over Jordan Pickford in goal and the provocative celebrations led to a bottle being launched from the stands and hitting the Villa players.
When it comes to Premier League records, the focus is always on the best of the best. Whether it be Manchester City's quest for 100 points or Arsenal's Invincibles season, people love the pursuit of perfection.
But at the other end of the table is a whole other set of records waiting to be broken, ranging from discouraging to downright embarrassing.
A Premier League transfer caught my eye over the weekend, not because of the notoriety of the player, but actually for the exact opposite reason. Chelsea midfielder Lewis Baker joined Stoke City on a permanent deal following 17 years with the Blues.
Not familiar with the name? Don't feel too bad. Baker made just two first-team appearances during his time in London — FA Cup cameos during the 13-14 and 21-22 seasons. Instead, the 26-year-old had eight loan spells in four countries after being promoted to the Chelsea senior squad in 2014.
Everton sacked manager Rafa Benítez on Sunday following a 2-1 defeat at Norwich City which left the Merseyside club six points above the Premier League relegation zone in 16th place, after 19 matches.
Appointed six months ago, the former Liverpool manager was a controversial choice for Everton supporters and after a promising start to the season his side slid down the table.
LONDON - Conor Gallagher scored twice and James Tomkins was also on target as Crystal Palace arrested a run of three defeats by beating Everton 3-1 at Selhurst Park on Sunday to renew pressure on visiting manager Rafael Benítez.
Gallagher fired home four minutes before halftime as Palace took advantage of a defensive error and Tomkins stabbed home from a corner midway through the second half.
LIVERPOOL, England — Everton eased some of the pressure on manager Rafa Benitez as they ground out a comeback 2-1 home win over Arsenal in the Premier League on Monday, with Demarai Gray netting a stunning stoppage-time winner after setting up the equaliser.
Brazilian forward Richarlison, who had two goals scrapped for marginal offsides after VAR checks, had levelled in the 79th minute after Gray hit the crossbar, cancelling out Martin Odegaard's first-half opener for the visitors.
MANCHESTER, England - Manchester City moved back to second in the Premier League after a stylish 3-0 win over Everton at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday as Pep Guardiola's side responded to convincing Chelsea and Liverpool wins with a reminder of their class.
Champions City dominated possession from the start against an Everton side that struggled to get a foothold in the game, but created few real openings in the opening half hour.
El delantero mexicano Raúl Jiménez anotó este lunes en la victoria por 2-1 del Wolverhampton sobre el Everton. La conquista de RJ9 no fue una de carácter anecdótico, sino que trajo bajo el brazo un par de hitos para el jugador.
Para comenzar, la diana fue la primera de Jiménez en el Molineaux después de su fractura de cráneo hace casi un año. Si bien Jiménez ya había anotado en esta temporada, el futbolista realmente anhelaba volver a hacerlo frente a su gente. De paso, el tanto correspondió al número 50 del Lobo defendiendo los colores del equipo inglés.