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Jordan Pickford’s wonder save shows why he so important to Everton and England

March 1, 2026
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Jarrad Branthwaite called it the “best save” he had ever seen.

David Moyes’ initial reaction had been laughter, presumably out of incredulity at what he had seen.

The Everton manager later joked that he had almost responded to goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s sublime 94th-minute save — which preserved his side’s 3-2 advantage over Newcastle United — by mirroring the celebration for Beto’s equaliser at Brighton & Hove Albion for which he got a yellow card and a touchline ban.

In truth, any such repeat would have been understandable, given the context.

Without Pickford’s intervention against one of his fiercest rivals — the goalkeeper started his career with Newcastle’s north-east neighbours Sunderland — Everton would not have escaped with these three huge away points that keep them firmly in the race for Europe.

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The England No 1 has made a habit of producing such moments. He has often been a goalkeeper who has risen to the biggest occasion, both for club and country. His acrobatic stop from Cesar Azpilicueta in the crucial 1-0 win over Chelsea was named the Premier League’s Save of the Season for 2021-22 and helped Everton avoid relegation, while he has three Save of the Month awards, including one last November in another 1-0 victory at Manchester United.

Saturday’s effort was as good as any. He told Everton club media that it was the best save of his career.

Tonali’s thunderous volley came as a surprise to most inside St James’ Park. It arrowed towards the top corner, but Pickford reacted instinctively to stick out a quick arm and divert onto the bar and over. He picked himself up and posed like a triumphant boxer who had just delivered a knockout blow, before mouthing “vamos” (Spanish for ‘come on’) and puffing his cheeks. His Everton team-mates raced to congratulate him.

Captain James Tarkowski’s reaction was a picture.

“The biggest credit I could give the save was that (Sandro) Tonali’s volley was textbook,” Moyes said in his post-match press conference. “He couldn’t have hit it any better. It took a wonder save to keep it out.”

Pickford usually ends up being the story at St James’ Park. As a former Sunderland player, he has always been the source of boos and taunts from the home fans.

There were times earlier in his career when it seemed to affect his game. Instead of shrugging off the abuse, he would engage in a back-and-forth and let his concentration wane. The nadir came in a 3-2 defeat in 2019 when he spilled Miguel Almiron’s shot, allowing Ayoze Perez to level. Earlier in the game, he gave away a penalty that he subsequently saved.

Performances in recent seasons have been notable for the lack of contentious moments or errors. Pickford, in the main, has been a calmer, more mature presence in goal and saved some of his best performances for matches against Newcastle.

The trend in those games has been mirrored elsewhere, with the 31-year-old an altogether more reliable, consistent performer. Age, his status as a senior player and fatherhood are all said to have been contributing factors behind his rise to becoming one of the league’s top performers.

Last season, Pickford topped the charts league-wide for the goals-prevented metric, calculated by subtracting actual goals conceded (excluding own goals) from the total Expected Goals on Target (xGOT) faced.

Stats provider Opta calculated that Pickford saved six goals more than expected, while he was also second in the rankings this season, behind Manchester United’s Senne Lammens, heading into the weekend. Shot-stopping is just one part of a keeper’s game, but it is an area in which he excels.

Pickford’s shot-stopping is elite (Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images)

Pickford was front and centre of celebrations at full time on Saturday, heading over with his team-mates to the away end and pounding the badge on his shirt. After each goal, Everton fans chanted his name. They did the same at the end as they exited an otherwise empty St James’.

“He’s a Mackem (someone from Sunderland), he’s a blue,” they chanted. “He’s a Toffee through and through. He hates Newcastle, he hates the s**** (Liverpool), Jordan Pickford is dynamite”.

It felt like a pointed riposte to the earlier mockery of Pickford by the home fans, the final word on an afternoon that went Everton and Pickford’s way. Meanwhile, Newcastle’s Nick Pope, the man once tipped to replace him in the England setup, spilled Dwight McNeil’s shot prior to Beto putting Everton 2-1 up.

Moyes will need Pickford to emulate those levels if Everton are to maintain their push for Europe. They ended Saturday in eighth, three points behind Brentford in seventh, ahead of Tuesday’s game at home to Burnley.

England manager Thomas Tuchel, a regular attendee at Everton games in recent months, will no doubt be buoyed by his first-choice keeper’s form ahead of this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Pickford’s late heroics surely will not have escaped his notice.

“I don’t know how he pulled it off,” Branthwaite told Everton’s website. “We know what a top goalkeeper he is and when he does things like that, it’s magic.”




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