‘I hate to say’, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer in full agreement about one Everton player
Everton couldn’t have scripted a better ending to the weekend, securing a morale-boosting victory in front of their home fans at the brand-new Hill Dickinson Stadium. For manager David Moyes, it was the perfect response to the disappointment of opening-day defeat, ensuring that the grand unveiling of the stadium was marked with three crucial points rather than a lingering sense of frustration.
The win allows Everton to move forward with a sense of freedom. The pressure of christening their new home with a positive result is now off their shoulders, and Moyes can turn his attention toward a pivotal week in the transfer market, with the summer window closing next Monday.
Controversy and resilience
As has often been the case in recent years, Everton found themselves embroiled in controversy during the match. Referee Stuart Attwell came under heavy criticism for awarding yet another penalty against the Toffees, a decision that left supporters fuming. However, on this occasion, the Blues felt that justice was served. Jack Grealish took plenty of plaudits for his display, but the true hero of the afternoon was someone else — the man between the posts, Jordan Pickford.
Lineker and Shearer in agreement over Pickford
Both Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, speaking on their Rest is Football podcast, were full of admiration for Pickford after his decisive role in Everton’s victory.
Pickford, who came under fire last week from pundit Jamie O’Hara over his use of a penalty “cheat sheet,” silenced his critics in style. The England number one denied Danny Welbeck from the spot, preserving Everton’s clean sheet and effectively sealing the win.
Lineker was quick to highlight just how far Pickford has come as a goalkeeper:
“What a good goalkeeper. He’s so consistent. There always used to be doubts about him because he’s a bit hot-headed at times, but there’s a real calmness, a real confidence about him these days. I hate to say things like this when you’re talking about the England goalkeeper, but he does not make many mistakes. All goalkeepers do make mistakes — he will and he has — but very, very few.”
Shearer echoed those thoughts, pointing to the struggles of Pickford’s potential challengers for the England shirt:
“Also, when you look at his competition — James Trafford, for example, moving to Man City and then having a terrible day against Spurs — it just shows you the level Pickford is at. He’s operating on a completely different level to the rest.”
Pickford proving his worth again
Pickford is not without his flaws. Just last week, Moyes was left fuming at the goalkeeper’s distribution in the defeat to Leeds. Yet time and again, the 31-year-old redeems himself with game-saving moments. He remains Everton’s most reliable player in high-pressure situations, and his standing as England’s undisputed number one appears more secure than ever after another commanding display.
A specialist in saving penalties
One area where Pickford continues to shine is in stopping penalties. Sunday’s heroics were not an isolated incident. Last season, he famously denied Anthony Gordon from the spot at Goodison Park and even thwarted Erling Haaland at the Etihad, using clever mind games to put the prolific striker off.
This cunning approach has not been without controversy. Critics like Jamie O’Hara have called for Pickford’s “water bottle tactic” — where he studies opposition penalty habits and writes notes on his bottle — to be outlawed. But the Everton goalkeeper has never shied away from such criticism. Instead, he thrives on it, often laughing off the noise and proving his detractors wrong where it matters most — on the pitch.
The bigger picture
Everton’s weekend win was about far more than just three points; it was a statement that the Toffees are ready to embrace the new chapter at their state-of-the-art stadium. And at the heart of it all, once again, was Jordan Pickford — a goalkeeper who has matured into one of the most dependable figures in the Premier League, and whose ability to deliver in decisive moments is gaining recognition from legends of the game.
As Lineker and Shearer both admitted, they “hate to say it,” but Pickford really does not make many mistakes anymore. Instead, he makes match-defining contributions — and Everton will be counting on plenty more of those as the season unfolds.