Here is a look at what some of the game's greatest voices said about it.
* Former England captain Nasser Hussain:
"The wheels came off for England with bat and ball and it was a stroke of genius for Australia to open with Travis Head. He Bazballed England's Bazballers, let's be honest. The whole nation will go at them, start doubting them and laughing at them."
* Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting:
"I thought what we saw was a much talked about England fast bowling attack that they have been building for two years to come and dominate in Australia, just get completely dismantled by one man. They seemed planless. They seemed clueless."
* Former England paceman Stuart Broad:
"It's one of those Test matches where you look through the Australian line-up and for years to come they'll say this is one of the greatest wins they will have had. Travis Head, really has played one of the greatest Ashes innings of all time. England had no answers. That is a powerful win. Big question marks will come over Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum."
* England coach Brendon McCullum:
"We've got some work to do, no doubt. But one thing we won't be changing is our blueprint, we'll stay true to that."
* England Test great Geoff Boycott:
"When you keep throwing away Test matches by doing the same stupid things it is impossible to take you seriously. It is simple. Brainless batting and bowling lost England the match."
* Former England captain Michael Vaughan:
"This is going to hurt England, it's going to damage them I think. They have the tools to be really competitive, but you can't be competitive without brains."
* England captain Ben Stokes:
"I'm still very confident of our abilities and achieving the goal. (It's going) to be so crucial about not taking any baggage from this result into Brisbane, because we need to win that one."
* Former Australia Test opener and coach Justin Langer:
"Earlier I made the comparison of Travis Head to Adam Gilchrist. We remember when Gilchrist scored that hundred at the WACA. That was one of the all time greatest. We've just seen probably one of the greatest ever Ashes innings by this man on the screen. Take a bow, Travis Head."
* Australia stand-in skipper Steve Smith:
"Wow. That was incredible to witness. Trav took it on and played one of the great Ashes knocks."
HEADLINES FROM ENGLAND'S PRESS
* The Telegraph: Gutless and self-destructive England threw away their golden opportunity
Nick Hoult writes: Of all the many, many England defeats in Australia this one cuts the deepest. To be beaten in two days by eight wickets and bowled out quicker in a Test than at any time since 1904 is gutless enough. But to surrender a match-winning position so lamely in a Test of this magnitude, and destroying hope in such a self-destructive way, is far worse than the bleak, humiliating picture those statistics paint.
* The Sunday Times: England plunge to car-crash defeat on one of their darkest days
Simon Wilde writes: There are not many days when you feel sick to the pit of your stomach watching England play Test cricket abroad — and the very worst days are generally overseas, because the journey itself is an act of faith-demanding recompense — but this dark Saturday was certainly one of them.
* The Observer: The Torrent of broken records that could kill off Bazball
Andy Zaltzman writes: The word 'extraordinary' is used a truly extraordinary amount in all forms of sports coverage. Sometimes, however, it is merited. The Perth Test was gripping, spectacular, and statistically astonishing. At the same time, it was the epitome of the Stokes-McCullum era – brilliant, flawed, intense, and mind-scrambling for players on both teams, spectators, and statisticians trying to keep up with everything.
