BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has hailed the “world class” performance of Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in Sunday’s draw against Chelsea.
The England number one helped keep high-flying Chelsea at bay as the Merseysiders matched the well-resourced hosts in the goalless contest at Stamford Bridge.
Former Spurs striker Crooks was impressed by Pickford and a display from Everton that was the best he had seen them play for a long time.
“The save from Marcos Alonso by England’s number one goalkeeper was world class,” Crooks told the BBC Sport site, as he named Pickford in his team of the week.
“In fact, Jordan went on to make a number of first-class saves to keep Everton in a game that could, with a bit of luck, have gone their way due to his brilliance.
“I said last week that Everton were looking good but against Chelsea the Toffees played the best football I’ve seen them play for some considerable time. They are looking like a proper team.”
OPINION
The remarkable thing about Everton’s performance at Chelsea is that it was not a backs-to-the-wall effort, the type that former managers David Moyes and Sam Allardyce would have overseen. Instead, Marco Silva instructed his men to go toe-to-toe with Chelsea and play them at their own game. The result would suggest only a Pickford masterclass prevented an avalanche of Chelsea goals. Certainly, the England keeper was excellent, both in terms of reflex saves, decision-making and distribution. But, in an excellent match that was far more enthralling than the scoreline would suggest, there were clear signs that the Portugese hired by Everton in the summer is starting to formulate a style of play that owner Farhad Moshiri has been crying out for since buying a majority stake in the club and investing hundreds of millions into playing and backroom talent. Had Theo Walcott and Bernard demonstrated a decent level of composure, Everton would have returned to Merseyside with a famous win.