Wayne Rooney reveals why he 'enjoys' playing against Newcastle at St James's Park

A goal from Rooney gave Everton a 1-0 win over Newcastle United last night.

Rooney prodded the ball home from close range in the 27th minute after goalkeeper Karl Darlow spilled a header from Aaron Lennon.

The strike was the former Manchester United forward's 15th in the Premier League against Newcastle, who are now just one point above the relegation zone after taking one point from a possible 24.

Rooney has also set up eight more goals against the club.

“It was a tough game," Rooney told evertonfc.com.

“We’ve come here, and, although Newcastle haven’t been on a great run of form, it’s always a difficult game, especially when you’re looking to pick up three points.

“We dug in, defended really well and made the most of the chances we had.

“We’re delighted, and it’s a great win for us. I’ve scored quite a few goals here – it’s a ground I enjoy playing at."

“Thankfully, it’s got us three points. We know it’s a difficult period coming on – the Christmas period's always difficult.”

Newcastle manager Benitez bemoaned the "mistake" which allowed Rooney to score – and "time wasting" from Sam Allardyce's side.

“I think I have the same feeling that all the fans will have," said Benitez, who was asked about Amanda Staveley's proposed £300million takeover.

"The team started the game well. We had chances, we were on top of them, we had the game under control, and then we made a mistake and we started suffering a little bit.

“To manage the second half against a team with experience wasting time the way that they were wasting time is even more difficult for players like our players.

“They need some experience to manage this situation."