In our latest Everton FC midweek debate for Liverpool ECHO Premium subscribers, Chris Beesley and Connor O'Neill both pick Jordan Pickford's best save for the Blues
Which is Jordan Pickford's best save for Everton?
Which is Jordan Pickford's best save for Everton?
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Everton didn’t just celebrate their joint-biggest win at Hill Dickinson Stadium to date as they defeated Chelsea 3-0, but Jordan Pickford kept his 100th clean sheet for the club. In order to do so, the England number one had to make a string of smart stops, including denying visiting captain Enzo Fernandez twice in spectacular fashion.
Just what has been his best save for the Blues, though? Members of the ECHO sports desk have their say.
Chris Beesley
I was fortunate enough to see Jordan Pickford’s amazing match-winning save against Newcastle United to deny Sandro Tonali – when I suggested they should build a statue of him at St James’ Park! Also, what could be argued to be his most-important, given that it proved a dramatic sliding doors moment, merely standing on his feet and not diving to keep out James Maddison’s penalty at the King Power Stadium that would have put Leicester City 3-1 up in first half stoppage time on May 1, 2023.
However, his best one for me in terms of overall technique has to be denying Cesar Azpilicueta in what was one of his many stops in a backs-to-the-wall 1-0 win over Chelsea a year to the day earlier than his Foxes stop on May 1, 2022. Mason Mount’s initial shot from the edge of the area struck Pickford’s right-hand post, bounced across the goal and then hit the left-hand post before rebounding to the Spaniard who lashed in the rebound.
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford somehow saves from Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford somehow saves from Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
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The Everton keeper not only had the speed of thought and body to get from one side of his goal to the other in a flash but position himself behind the line, inside the net, so he could get his angles correct to keep the powerfully struck shot out. It was named Premier League Save of the Season, but Blues boss Frank Lampard would hail at as the best save of the Premier League era and I wouldn’t argue with him.
Pickford has now become just the fifth Everton custodian to keep a century of clean sheets with the club’s best-ever keeper Neville Southall out in front on 269. The biggest compliment I can give the man from Washington is to say that save was as good as anything I ever saw from ‘Big Nev’ who was the best in the world.
Connor O'Neill
Where to start. There are a whole host of saves to choose from. Even this season alone has served up plenty of incredible saves from the Everton star. The way he kept out Sandro Tonali’s volley will live long in the memory as will the one at the weekend when he denied Enzo Fernandez.
While the save to deny Cesar Azpilicueta a couple of years ago with Everton in a battle to avoid the drop is a moment that will forever be talked about. However, Pickford’s best save for me came against Bournemouth on the final day of the 2022/2023 season.
With the Blues needing to win to stay up, they found themselves in the bottom three at half-time as Leicester City led West Ham United at the King Power.
But Abdoulaye Doucoure broke the deadlock after 57 minutes, sparking an explosion of elation and relief among supporters in attendance.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 28: Abdoulaye Doucoure of Everton celebrates with teammates after scoring their 1st goal during the Premier League match between Everton FC and AFC Bournemouth at Goodison Park on May 28, 2023 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Abdoulaye Doucoure is mobbed by his Everton team-mates after his incredible winning goal against Bournemouth in May 2023(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
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However, with the game deep into stoppage time, those inside Goodison gasped as one when Matías Vina let fly from distance.
Pickford, though, produced a superb flying save and even managed to push the ball away from danger, and that, for me, is his best save for Everton.
Simply because if that goes in, then who knows where the Blues would be today? That goal condemned Everton to relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.
And we all know what could have come next had that happened. For starters, would Everton be playing at Hill Dickinson Stadium now?
Thankfully Pickford allowed those inside Goodison to breathe, and the Blues managed to see out a staggering 11 minutes of injury time.
So while it wasn’t his most memorable, for me there is no doubt that Pickford’s best and most important save for the Blues came against the Cherries on that May afternoon.
Just imagine where the club would be today if he hadn’t produced the stop.
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