Everton vs Man Utd: Will Pickford maintain flying form to keep rivals at bay?
It was clear during the recent International break how much of an important asset Jordan Pickford is to the England team. In their two Nations League matches, the Three Lions conceded four goals with Nick Pope between the sticks and they looked nowhere near as assured at the back.
Pickford has been in blistering form for Everton this season and the injury that kept him from representing his country in those fixtures against Germany and Italy was seen as a big blow, especially as it marked the final set of international fixtures before the World Cup kicks off in November.
Nevertheless, Pickford for the most part of the domestic season, has continued to highlight his quality, only missing the Toffees' 1-0 win over West Ham, while playing the other seven games.
Despite playing one fewer game than Dean Henderson, he has made only two fewer saves in the league (31), producing the best saves per 90 record (4.4) in the league and as a result; Everton have the best defensive record in England's top tier, conceding only seven times. This has given him the highest WhoScored rating of all Premier League goalkeepers (7.30). For context, the next highest with more than one appearance is Neto (7.08).
Frank Lampard will be hoping his first choice shotstopper can carry this form into Sunday in what is going to be a big test of character against an opponent that they don’t always have the best luck against.
In all, Everton have met Manchester United 208 times in competitive fixtures and only boast a 34.1% win rate in the fixture, though 22.6% of results have ended in a draw. In the last 10 meetings across all competitions, the Toffees have only won twice, but that does include the last meeting, which they won 1-0.
Despite the records pointing to a United win, recent form says otherwise. In fact, Everton come in this one with a six-game unbeaten record in the Premier League, which included a Pickford masterclass in a 0-0 draw at home with local rivals Liverpool.
Erik Ten Haag had got United more in the groove for a period as they won four in a row, including victories over Liverpool and league leaders Arsenal. However, in recent weeks, they have slumped into their old ways, losing their opening Europa League match at home to Real Sociedad and being humbled by arch-rivals Manchester City in their last league game. They just scraped a win away to Omonia Nicosia on Thursday night.
Two of the goals scored by United in the game against City were courtesy of Anthony Martial, who despite only playing 76 minutes of Premier League action owing to injury, has two goals and an assist to his name, meaning he is directly contributing to a Premier League goal more frequently than any other player this season (every 25 minutes). He also contributed with a goal straight from the bench in the win over Omonia Nicosia.
Everton, and namely Pickford, will have to be aware of Martial’s quality around the box, provided he makes his first start of the campaign. Even so, the Toffees face a formidible foe in the Frenchman, who they often struggle to contain. Indeed, Everton are Martial's favourite opponents, with the striker scoring seven career goals against the Toffees, while his only league goal of 2021/22 was in the 1-1 draw between the pair at Old Trafford last October.
Sunday will be a big test for both sides and will really put into question their credentials ahead of a busy schedule before the World Cup. They may have to both settle for a draw this time around.
