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For a time, it looked like Jordan Pickford could be the winner of Everton’s game in the Merseyside derby.
Not because of the saves the England keeper made, although there was a magnificent aerial save from a Joel Matip header in the second half, but because of his brutal opening challenge over Virgil van Dijk.
Liverpool had started the game in a way that suggested they were eager to reestablish their authority and reputation after their 7-2 humiliation against Aston Villa in their previous match and Van Dijk set the tone, spraying the ball and prevailing in Everton’s attack with some uncompromising challenges.
But in the minutes after Liverpool took an early lead through Sadio Mane, Van Dijk tried to hold on to hit Everton’s area and Pickford flew to meet him.
He lunged at Van Dijk, feet first, off the ground, out of control and knocked him down like a giant oak. Van Dijk received prolonged treatment but was unable to continue and was replaced by Joe Gomez.
And the truth is that Liverpool was never the same again. They never fully recovered that initial authority and that initial security.
And a Liverpool defense against a forward in Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who is in such supreme form, and a striker in James Rodriguez, who is such a smart player, never seemed so comfortable.
It looked like a simple red card, a leg-breaking challenge, but the fact that Van Dijk was declared offside seemed to confuse the VAR’s decision even though it was a clear example of serious foul play. Pickford was saved and was instrumental in the outcome of the match.
If Van Dijk had been on the pitch, for example, would Michael Keane have been allowed to get up and head a superb header at Adrian for Everton’s first draw?
If Van Dijk had been on the field, would Calvert-Lewin have been allowed to soar so majestically, without scoring, to mark Everton’s second draw at home?
There were also the saves. If Pickford’s panic attack on Van Dijk spoke of a man whose confidence is shaky, whose place is under pressure for both the club and the country, it produced quality moments that showed us why both Gareth Southgate and Carlo Ancelotti are staying. with him for now.
There was a brilliant save from a free kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold in the first half and Matip’s reaction in the second half.
As Liverpool pushed for a winner later in the game, Pickford shot out of his goal to block a Mane effort that would have given the visitors the lead.
But Pickford exudes a sense of nervousness right now. It feels like there is always a mistake waiting to happen and that some of that nervousness, at least, is being transmitted to the four in the back in front of him.
If Everton want to maintain an attempt to stay in the top four or better, they have to rediscover the reliability they have lost.
Pickford remained at the center of the plot until the end. As the game went into added time, Pickford had kept his team in the game with his saves, but then his vulnerability re-emerged.
When Jordan Henderson landed a left foot shot into goal in the 92nd minute, Pickford should have saved him.
He brought his left hand towards him, but instead of stopping or picking him up, it puffed out of his wrist and curled into a lazy arc that took him just under the crossbar and over the finish line.
For a couple of minutes, it seemed that the narrative would once again be dominated by its fallibility. The debate over whether to keep his place was about to redouble.
Then the VAR intervened. Most of football could have been exasperated by the decision to discard Henderson’s goal for the most marginal of offside decisions against Mane, but not against Pickford. He was the most relieved man in Goodison Park.
The debate over whether he should keep his place can be set aside for another day.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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