Demarai Gray has warned his Everton side against complacency ahead of their trip to Watford and hailed the brilliance of Jordan Pickford.
The Blues moved out of the Premier League bottom three on Sunday after beating Leicester City 2-1 at the King Power. The victory came courtesy of first-half goals from Vitaliy Mykolenko and Mason Holgate.
Everton’s win was further boosted by defeats for Burnley and Leeds United over the weekend. But ahead of Wednesday’s clash at Vicarage Road, Gray has told his side it must be a case of more of the same.
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“Complacency is one thing we can’t have,” Gray told evertontv. “There is a long way to go, and we’ve got to go to the end.
“We know, quality-wise, the [standard of] players we have in the team, but it is about mentality – our attitude – and there has been a massive change in that.
“We’re grinding out games – we’ve won 1-0 a couple of times and 2-1 against Leicester. It’s about digging deep and mentally staying strong. We have to continue that now.
“Against Leicester, we had to dig deep but I think, from the first minute, we were at it. The spirit from everyone was top.
“I can’t thank the fans who travelled there enough. It’s like having an extra body on the pitch. And the send-off when we left the training ground on Saturday… I’ve never seen anything like that before.
“The week before, when we beat Chelsea, the support was the same. I think the fans know the role they play and how much of a massive boost for the team they give.”
Everton have been indebted to the brilliance of Jordan Pickford over the last couple of games, with the England international making a string of impressive stops against Chelsea and Leicester. Pickford's lightning-quick reactions and intelligent footwork drew praise after he pulled off the seemingly impossible stop to deny Cesar Azpilicueta.
Then, at the weekend against Leicester, the former Sunderland man denied Harvey Barnes with a stunning close-range save. And Gray has revealed that some of Pickford's saves in recent weeks have left him speechless.
“Sometimes, I don’t even know how he saves those shots! But that’s Pickers. He’s England No.1,” Gray said of his goalkeeper.
“And he’s pulling these saves out at big moments, because we need him more than ever. Throughout the team, you need a strong base and he’s doing his job brilliantly.”
