Credit: Imago

Daniel Davis

Sat 21 March 2026 19:31, UK

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford put in a superb performance against Chelsea, and his club can count their blessings after Robert Sanchez’s nightmare at the other end.

Pickford made a string of outstanding saves in the 3-0 victory at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday night, helping to propel them up to seventh in the Premier League.

Perhaps the best of the bunch came in the first half after a corner, with the stopper punching half-clear before recovering to tip over Enzo Fernandez’s stinging close-range strike.

On the hour mark, Pickford again foiled the same midfielder, tipping a bending effort wide of the far post and protecting a hard-earned and well-deserved clean sheet.

Everton’s win against Chelsea narrowed the gap on fifth place to just two points, and with England’s No 1 between the sticks, the Toffees look good value for Europe.

Pat Nevin rips into Robert Sanchez after error

Sanchez set the tone for his nightmare outing on Merseyside inside the first 15 minutes after dithering on the ball and being tackled by Beto inside his penalty area.

Luckily for the stopper, the deflection bounced to Jorrel Hato, who was able to smuggle out from underneath his crossbar before the striker could touch over the line.

Delivering his reaction, Pat Nevin told the BBC: “It’s the weirdest thing.

“Robert Sanchez doesn’t look comfortable. His first touch is absolutely awful, but it’s better than his second touch, which was dreadful. He’s staggeringly lucky to get away with that.

“He just didn’t feel like there was danger there.”

However, his evening would only get worse. Indeed, Sanchez was unable to stop Beto from opening the scoring after racing out, before the frontman’s second slipped through his legs.

The only consolation is that he had no chance of keeping out Iliman Ndiaye’s fine strike.

Pickford proves why he’s Everton undroppable

It has been a near-faultless campaign for Pickford, and he once again showed his quality a week on from apologising for an error in the 2-0 defeat by Arsenal.

Making his 350th appearance for the club, the 32-year-old was arguably at fault for the opening goal, having not dealt with a cross into the box before Viktor Gyokeres tapped in.

Pickford did not need to apologise to his team-mates post-match but did so anyway, a measure of his character and maturity.

Regardless, he has gone from strength to strength, and his performance against Chelsea was one of his best, with his impressive athleticism and composure on display.

His 11 Premier League clean sheets this season move him joint-second in the standings, level with Gianluigi Donnarumma, but he is unlikely to catch David Raya’s tally of 15.