Ian Rush: Jordan Pickford would have been scared of Divock Origi in Everton defeat at Liverpool
Everton keeper Jordan Pickford would have been scared to see Liverpool substitute Divock Origi coming on at Anfield according to Ian Rush.
The Belgian forward scored the second goal in the controversial 2-0 defeat in the Merseyside derby, which left the Toffees languishing in the relegation zone.
And Reds legend Rush believes his goalscoring record in that fixture would have been particularly deflating for Frank Lampard’s players as he entered the fray on 60 minutes.
Rush told Gambling.com: “It would have been demoralising for Everton to have reached the hour mark at 0-0 only to see the fresh legs of [Luis] Diaz coming on along with Origi, who has such a magnificent goalscoring record against them.
“A year or two ago, Liverpool weren’t able to impact a game like that with their substitutes. Pickford must have been trembling in his boots when he saw the sight of Origi coming on!
“He’s scored so many important goals for Liverpool… but six derby goals against Everton is really impressive.”
Tormentor
Pickford doesn’t seem the sort to tremble in his boots about much, but he probably would be happy never to see Origi again.
Fans will feel the same as the 27-year-old has scored six times against Everton, accounting for over a quarter of his entire Premier League output (SI).
The Toffees keeper infamously was beaten at the death in 2018 when he misjudged a skewed Virgil van Dijk shot, helping it back onto the pitch for the striker to nod in the winner.
Just as Origi’s luck seems to be firmly in when he plays Everton, the club’s luck seems to be very much in the other direction of late.
An away performance that contained a much-improved element of fight and determination, for all the detractors have complained about its aesthetic quality, could have taken something from the game on another day.
Instead, Lampard was left bemoaning refereeing inconsistencies once again, and the club went home empty handed.
In other Everton news, a talkSPORT pundit wants them to be relegated because it would be “funny”.
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