Everton's match-winner Marouane Fellaini hailed the performance of the team after the Toffees opened their Barclays Premier League campaign with a shock 1-0 win over Manchester United at Goodison Park.

Fellaini was a constant menace to United – who handed Robin van Persie a debut from the bench after his signing from Arsenal– and capped an impressive all-round performance with the winner, an unstoppable bullet header from Darron Gibson's corner.

The Belgian, however, was quick to pay tribute to the team effort as they won their opening fixture for the first time in five seasons.

"It was a good goal, it was a good cross, a good corner. It was good for me and for Everton," Fellaini said.

"Everton had a lot of chances in the first half and we had to keep going and hope the team scored.

"I think everybody was motivated. Manchester United is a great club. Everybody is motivated, and I think everybody played well."

Phil Jagielka was also quick to salute the team effort and urged Davie Moyes' team to carry their momentum into Saturday's clash at Aston Villa.

"We knew it was a great team like Man United but fortunately the big man (Fellaini) put his head where it hurts and we had something to hang on to," he said.

"I think the whole team was a bit tired towards the end but the effort that we all put in towards the end was fantastic and it's nice to send the Everton fans home on the first day with a win."

Jagielka added of the Toffees, who gave former Rangers forward Steven Naismith a late run as a substitute: "It's a fantastic start for us, three points. We'll build on it for the next game, we've got a big game coming up over the weekend so if we can get another point away at Villa, or three, it's going to be a fantastic start and hopefully instead of chasing the teams, we can be chased for once."