Everton star Jordan Pickford gets 6/10 rating in England win v Senegal
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford once again proved why he is the number one for England after producing some fantastic saves against Senegal in the World Cup on Sunday [4 December].
Chris Sutton wrote for the Daily Mail [5 December, page 73] that Pickford made a decent save to deny Boulaye Dia as England won 3-0 on Sunday [4 December] to set up a meeting with France in the quarter-final.
The BBC pundit notes that Pickford gave some “heart-in-mouth” moments, and gave the Toffees star a 6/10 rating for his performance against Senegal.
“Stayed big for Isamaila Sarr’s early chance and then made a decent save to deny Boulaye Dia,” wrote Sutton for The Daily Mail.
“Gave fans a couple of heart-in-mouth moments with the ball at his feet as Senegal pressed aggressively but the goalkeeper then went long to good effect. Barely involved after the break.”
Deserved more
It was a superb performance from the England side, and Pickford has played a big part in it.
Sometimes, a goalkeeper needs to make one or two crucial saves that change the complexion of the game. Those are the game-changing moments, and Pickford did just that.
The likes of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane have been getting the plaudits (and rightly so) but the situation could have been a lot different had Pickford not made that crucial save in the first half.
A few moments later, England scored and from there they looked unbeatable. He was involved in two crucial moments, and he didn’t let his team down.
He probably deserved a better rating than what Sutton has thrashed out for Daily Mail.
Pickford and the rest of the defensive unit will have to be on top of their games as England take on France next.
Kylian Mbappe has been in terrific form for France, the England defence will be severely tested.