Ashley Young slammed by James McFadden for Jordan Pickford trouble with Anthony Gordon as Everton beat Newcastle 3-0
Ashley Young was “really poor” with his pass to Jordan Pickford’s wrong foot to force the Everton keeper in a difficult situation under pressure from Anthony Gordon, according to James McFadden.
The former Toffees attacker reacted on BBC Radio 5 Live, via the BBC Sport live-blog, late in first-half added time on 7 December, as the veteran wide-man’s back pass saw ex-Goodison winger Gordon close in and threaten to dispossess the keeper inside his own area.
McFadden suggested “everyone knows” that Pickford’s stronger foot is his left and yet Young, playing in midfield as James Garner’s illness brought Seamus Coleman into the line up, had set him up unnecessarily off his right.
McFadden said: “It’s a really poor pass from Ashley Young. He fires it in to Pickford’s right foot. Everyone knows he’s left-footed.
“He forces him to take a touch and that allows Gordon to put the pressure on.”
Pickford was able to clear and Everton ultimately went on to record a hugely-significant 3-0 win in front of their home fans.
Risky
In the grand scheme of the season Young’s pass to the wrong foot of his keeper hardly compares to some rash contributions in defence.
Having him further forward against the Magpies was arguably preferable as it allowed him to put some decent balls into the box while requiring him to make less challenges.
His red card against Liverpool and lucky escape from another two games ago in the defeat to Manchester United have made it somewhat surprising that Sean Dyche had persisted with him at full back.
But it was a touch-and-go moment just before the break when Gordon, who was booed and whistled by the home fans throughout the game, came within feet of stealing the ball off his former keeper.
Given it took until the 79th-minute for Dwight McNeil to smash Everton into the lead after Kieran Trippier’s error it was evident how tight the game was, and the flood gates opened at long last as a result.
Had Eddie Howe’s side been gifted the lead right before the interval it would have changed the entire complexion of the game so it was a sloppy risk to take by Young.
The 38-year-old has proven over two decades at the top level what quality he has but there have been too many occasions since he signed for the Toffees where he’s fallen short and this could have been another one.
It ended up being another England veteran, Trippier, whose errors proved decisive as McNeil and then Abdoulaye Doucouré took advantage, and Beto’s first Premier League strike saw Everton run out decisive winners.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are now thought “likely” to receive a multi-million pound payment from their opponents at Goodison.