Jordan Pickford out of Everton FA Cup clash v Crystal Palace
Everton will be without Jordan Pickford for their FA Cup quarter-final clash against Crystal Palace, manager Frank Lampard has confirmed.
The first-choice goalkeeper missed the dramatic win over Newcastle on Thursday night through illness, with Asmir Begovic stepping in and keeping a clean sheet as they snatched three points in the 99th minute.
Now as attention turns to the FA Cup clash with Palace on Sunday at Selhurst Park, Lampard has confirmed that Pickford will still be unavailable and aside from Donny Van de Beek and Dele Alli being cup-tied, the squad is as it was.
“Jordan won’t be fit for the game,” he said.
“Donny is still ill but is cup-tied. In terms of injuries, it’s a bit more of an assessment of how the players were. We haven’t been helped by the timing of the game. Other than that, it’s as is.”
Momentum
Finally, a win. And what a win it was. But one win isn’t enough and Everton need to keep the momentum going as they look for survival.
While this is a cup game, the result is just as important for their league season as it is their progression in the FA Cup.
A trip to Wembley in the semi-final would be a huge boost for the fan base who have endured a horrible season, and Lampard would earn plenty of brownie points by getting them there.
But most importantly it would show that the win against Newcastle wasn’t just another false start and they can actually build to earn a victory and get to retain their Premier League status.
Lampard should go full strength for the tie and hope that a positive result follows to set up a grandstand end to the season.
In other Everton news, Gary Neville backs ‘very good’ Everton ace for national team spot despite poor results