Neil Moxley wowed by what may have saved Everton from Premier League relegation
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford may have saved Everton from Premier League relegation thanks to his water bottle heroics against Leicester on Monday (2 May), according to Neil Moxley.
Pickford saved a first-half penalty from James Maddison during the 2-2 draw, having predicted which direction the Foxes ace would choose.
Writing on his water bottle, Pickford noted that Maddison opts to go down the middle 60% of the time, with that scenario playing out as the goalkeeper kept out the spot-kick.
Writing about ‘Who’s hot this week’ for the Sunday People (Page 54, 7 May), Moxley said of the water bottle: “Jordan Pickford’s to be precise. It could have saved Everton’s season.
“Going 3-1 down before half-time at the King Power would have been difficult to claw back. It could be the key to winning the survival battle.”
Superb strategy
It was a very smart decision from Pickford to label the water bottle, with the goalkeeper outwitting his England teammate in their head-to-head battle.
But it was also a slightly foolish decision from Maddison, who perhaps should have clocked on to the fact that Pickford knew more or less where his penalty would go.
Premier League titles and indeed relegation battles are often won by the smallest of margins, and this tiny but significant detail may just be the difference between the Toffees staying in the division or not.
They do, however, remain in the relegation zone despite the hard-earned point, with things not getting any easier as they travel to high-flying Brighton on Monday (8 May), before hosting league leaders Manchester City on Sunday (14 May).
Pickford will undoubtedly be a key figure in that very tricky run-in, with the shot-stopper expected to be very busy against the two free-scoring sides.