Rooney rolls back the years with halfway line goal

Wayne Rooney scored his first hat-trick in six years and a first treble for his beloved Everton as they roared back to life in a troubled season by thrashing West Ham United 4-0 in the Premier League Wednesday. Rooney showed no mercy to the man who had handed him his professional debut at Goodison Park back in April 2002, giving David Moyes another unhappy return to the ground where the Scot spent 11 years before joining Rooney in an ill-fated, short-lived spell at Manchester United. Rooney's treble, which was complemented by a late header from Ashley Williams, ensured caretaker David Unsworth bowed out on his brief yet troubled reign with a smile on his face, picking up a second win from seven games in all competitions. "It was very enjoyable," Rooney told the BBC.

Wayne Rooney scores his first Everton hat-trick and his 9th hat-trick overall - also the 200th time an Everton player has scored 3 or more goals in a game pic.twitter.com/2Oj7V3w1gk

— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) November 29, 2017

"It was a difficult moment for us as a club. It was a big game with the new manager coming in. We needed a big performance and we had that - especially in the first half. "We had to win. We had to stand up and show what good players we are. It's the first step of where we want to go - moving up the league." Unsworth will return to his role with the club's U-23 team Thursday when Sam Allardyce will be named as Everton's permanent manager. Allardyce was at Goodison Park after finalising a deal at the club's Finch Farm training complex.

? | @WayneRooney was at his clinical best in an all-action display tonight... For a chance to win his signed shirt follow @Davanti_Tyres and RT this post! #PerformanceDriven #EFCmatchday pic.twitter.com/0WuKjT0e0g

— Everton (@Everton) November 29, 2017

"Great hat-trick, great display from Wayne. He was captain for a reason," Unsworth said. Rooney enjoyed a slice of luck with his first goal as his poorly-struck penalty was saved by Joe Hart but landed at the perfect height for him to nod the ball straight back into the net and score for the first time since the 5-2 defeat by Arsenal on Oct. 22. He thrashed in a cutback from fellow Everton youth academy graduate Jonjoe Kenny in the 28th minute but saved his best goal for last, reacting quickly to a scuffed pass from Joe Hart to drive the loose ball into the net from behind the halfway line. "The third goal, it fell to me, Joe's out of his goal and I thought I'll have a go and I hit it sweet," Rooney said.

That is @WayneRooney's first #PL hat-trick since 10 September 2011, the longest time between two trebles for one player in the competition (2,272 days)#EVEWHU pic.twitter.com/nVbE1dzmtl

— Premier League (@premierleague) November 29, 2017

"I tried to hit it hard and keep it under control. It was a perfect moment." West Ham manager Moyes said: "It’s what Wayne can do. He’s always got goals in him and technical ability. He’s got the knack of being in the right place to score goals." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCqjhxTngLI Allardyce had just one game with Rooney while in charge of England before he was forced to resign from the job after a newspaper sting but finds the all-time national team and Manchester United top scorer in fine form when he takes over at Everton. "It's a new chapter," added Rooney. "Sam is a very good manager. I'm sure he'll bring some new ideas. We're looking forward to our first game with him."