Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti says now is “not the right place to talk about Jordan Pickford” after the goalkeeper’s error in the 4-2 win over Brighton.
Pickford dropped a bouncing ball and Neal Maupay equalised but Everton went on to win and go top of the table.
It is the England international’s 11th error leading to a goal since he joined Everton in August 2017 – more than any other Premier League goalkeeper.
“He did a mistake but nothing happened,” said Ancelotti.
“We have three points more and this is the most important part.
“This is not the right place to talk about Pickford, if I have to say something to him when he comes back (from international duty) I will talk to him.”
| Goalkeeping errors in Premier League since Pickford joined Everton | |
|---|---|
| Player | Errors |
| Jordan Pickford | 11 |
| Asmir Begovic | 10 |
| Martin Dubravka | 9 |
| Hugo Lloris | 8 |
| David de Gea | 7 |
| Bernd Leno | 7 |
Pickford is in the England squad for Thursday’s friendly against Wales and the Nations League matches that follow against Belgium and Denmark and has been first choice throughout Gareth Southgate’s time as manager.
Also in the squad are Burnley’s Nick Pope and Manchester United’s Dean Henderson.
Pickford’s latest error, coming after a mistake that allowed Fleetwood to score in a recent Carabao Cup tie, puts further pressure on his position.
In the BBC Sport’s player rater, which allows you to rate each individual participating in every Premier League game, Pickford is averaging 5.48, with his showing on Saturday earning him a team low of 3.52.
His rating is the lowest of all those who have played for Everton in the Premier League this season.
However, Ancelotti’s comments suggest his club place is not under immediate threat, coming a week after he insisted he was not looking to strengthen his goalkeeping resources.
Everton have Jonas Lossl, who has first-team Premier League experience from his time at Huddersfield, and 20-year-old Portuguese keeper Joao Virginia on their books.
‘Put your foot through it’
A bad day for England’s keepers ended with Pope making errors in Burnley’s defeat at Newcastle.
A poor touch in the first half saw Callum Wilson charge down his attempted clearance, and Wilson also beat him to a ball over the top when he was out of position.
Another miscontrolled backpass saw him foul Ryan Fraser for a penalty in the second half.
“On a night like tonight Nick Pope should just put his foot through it,” said Burnley boss Sean Dyche.
“He knows that but he’s a top keeper.”
Pope scored a match low 4.18 in the player rater, and has an average mark of 5.22 this season.
