BBC pundit baffled as Everton keeper Jordan Pickford let down by teammates against Wolves
Carlton Cole was as bemused as Everton keeper Jordan Pickford as his defence allowed Wolves to equalise through Daniel Podence.
The Toffees had taken a seventh-minute lead via Yerry Mina off a Dwight McNeil corner, with the Colombian only in the line up to cover for Conor Coady’s inability to face his parent club.
But when Joao Moutinho was found all alone on the edge of the area from a 22nd minute corner for the visitors he was given so much time to lift a ball back over the home defence to an unmarked Podence, who slipped a simple finish past Pickford leaving the keeper clearly unhappy and Cole could see why.
Speaking on BBC Sport’s Final Score after the goal he said of the Everton keeper: “He’s going to be asking questions at half time, thinking, ‘How have you let him…?’ And to be fair, Podence is quite small as well so I can see where he can be quite evasive.
“But he’s come on at the far post and no-one… Moutinho’s brought it down on the edge of the box and just lofted it over to the far post, Podence is on the move and he just slots it past Pickford.
“Pickford must be looking at his defence and thinking, ‘We’ve got a good defence here, why has that happened?'”
Sloppy
In an opening period where Everton had the better of the play, and crucially had actually found the net early on, it was a very disappointing way to surrender the lead.
Anthony Gordon should have arguably closed down the short corner, and Neal Maupay definitely should have done so to pressure Moutinho, while Nathan Patterson had no idea that Podence had sneaked in behind him.
Pickford himself may have been slightly disappointed he couldn’t keep the shot out, since it wasn’t fired home, but was understandably bemused by the collective failing of the unit in front of him to put him in that situation.
It was sloppy to allow that goal, but to ultimately come away from the game on the end of a last-gasp defeat is an absolute sickener.
Everton did more than enough to win that game, and while it was hardly an exhibition of high-quality football from either side the Toffees were the better of the two.
It certainly doesn’t rain at Goodison Park, it pours, and having been unable to take the early chances or create the necessary late ones Frank Lampard was hit by a hammer blow.
Upcoming fixtures are daunting as well and without some results soon alarm bells will be ringing over another relegation battle.