Paul Merson blasts ‘bad’ Jordan Pickford for what he did when Mason Holgate was sent off in Everton v Crystal Palace
Paul Merson slams Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford for what he did in the 0-0 game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on 22 April.
Mason Holgate got a red card and Merson believes that he would’ve not got a second yellow had Pickford not played the ball out wide.
The Toffees right-back was already struggling against Andre Ayew and by fouling him, he ensured he got his marching orders.
Speaking on Sky Sports News on Saturday (22 April, 4:17pm), Merson said: “Holgate’s got a red card. It’s another foul on Jordan Ayew. Bad goalkeeping by Pickford. He tries to play it out wide but it gets intercepted by Ayew. Ayew runs down the line, Holgate’s chasing him back, catches him, second booking. He has had a bit of a torrid [time] against Ayew today so he’s off with 11 or 12 minutes to go.”
Can’t blame him
It’s harsh to blame Pickford for that as that’s something that can happen in games and Holgate knows better than that and he still makes a needless foul.
Most Everton fans would’ve been surprised to see him not being subbed off and it was baffling to see him on the pitch after his performance.
It was clear that he was lacking match sharpness and it wasn’t the best call for Dyche to name him in his eleven.
Perhaps without Holgate, they would’ve had a chance to even win the game and that did not happen and in fact, he nearly saw his team lose the contest.
He was Goodison News’ worst-rated Everton player in the game as we could not think of one thing he did right during his time on the pitch.
With his suspension, he’s obviously not going to be in the side for the next game and that’s certainly a blessing in disguise.