Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was wowed by one Everton during the Toffees’ Merseyside Derby victory on Wednesday evening.
Sean Dyche’s men did City a considerable favour in midweek. The 2-0 win has effectively ended Liverpool’s title hopes, with the Reds now two points behind the Premier League Champions and three behind Arsenal. Crucially, City hold an all-important game in hand.
Guardiola’s side looked in ominous form on Thursday evening, dispatching Brighton and Hove Albion 4-0 at The Amex.
And after the game, the City boss cut a far more relaxed figure than the one who was moaning about fixture congestion after the FA Cup semi-final triumph over Chelsea.
Pep Guardiola singles out ‘exceptional’ Everton player after midweek heroics v Liverpool
Speaking after the victory in East Sussex, the Spaniard refused to rule Liverpool out of the title race despite a damaging couple of weeks.
Guardiola was also eager to highlight just how good one Everton player was during the Toffees’ win.
He told the Manchester Evening News: “What happened to Liverpool dropping two games against Palace and Everton can happen to us and happen to Arsenal.
“Everton playing for their lives – like Forest. Maybe it was a real contender for us, my appreciation for Liverpool is higher than ever. You see the game they draw at Old Trafford, or yesterday, Pickford was exceptional.”
Jordan Pickford deserves more credit for what he did this week
Pickford’s performance has been rightfully lauded, but it feels as if the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski stole the headlines.
Of course, all the aforementioned players deserve immense credit, but Pickford’s seven saves and prevented goals of 1.25 need a mention [stats per FotMOB].
Liverpool did create chances; there can be no getting away from that fact. Klopp would’ve expected his side to find the back of the net with 23 shots and an expected goals of 2.08.
But, Everton’s £30million man stood firm and produced a string of fine saves to keep the Toffees’ clean sheet intact.
It feels as if he stands up in the most critical moments, which is an excellent trait for any keeper to have.