Everton duo Jordan Pickford and Conor Coady have been praised for their performances against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby on Saturday.
The 0-0 draw at Goodison Park still had some standout displays as the Blues picked up their first point against their rivals since the victory at Anfield in 2021. Defender Coady had a goal ruled out for offside in the second-half, but neither side were able to break the deadlock on the day.
Key to Everton 's solid performance was the defensive duo, according to pundit Garth Crooks. Both Pickford and Coady have been named in his team of the week, along with Liverpool' s Joe Gomez.
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"It was a cracking Merseyside derby at the weekend. There were three fabulous saves by Pickford from Roberto Firmino and yet it was the stop from Darwin Nunez that had me applauding," he told BBC Sport. "Pickford looks in good form at the moment and he was outstanding against Liverpool but that's when I start to get very nervous about his performances.
"If he can retain this level of consistency then Everton and England will benefit enormously. Sadly, however, I can't help feeling there's always a mistake in Pickford especially when he's been playing well."
Everton signed Coady from Wolves a little under a month ago and the centre-back is already having a positive impact for the Blues. Crooks believes the 29-year-old was 'unlucky' to see his goal ruled out on Saturday and a victory for Everton wouldn't have been 'unreasonable'.
He added: "This lad has adjusted to his new environment very quickly. At Wolves, Coady looked commanding and I still can't quite work out why they let him go. However, he has slotted into the Everton back four very nicely and is starting to look as authoritative as he did when he was playing for the Wanderers.
"The defender was unlucky to have a goal ruled out for offside against Liverpool by the video assistant referee and, had it stood, an Everton victory would not have been unreasonable."
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