BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has compared Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to legendary England stopper Peter Shilton.
Pickford was superb during the crucial 2-1 victory at Leicester City on Sunday as Everton jumped out of the drop zone and up to 16th. Strikes from Vitaliy Mykolenko and Mason Holgate either side of a Patson Daka finish for Leicester ensured it was their first away win since August for the Blues, who were once more indebted to Pickford who, like in the win over Chelsea the week before, was in superb form.
Crooks picked the England No.1 in his BBC Team of the Week for the second week running and said: "The save from Harvey Barnes was quite incredible and the one-handed stop from Nampalys Mendy was almost identical to the save made by Peter Shilton during the England versus Scotland game when Kenny Dalglish hit a scorcher at Wembley.
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"That was regarded as a world class save at the time and provides some indication of the quality of the save by Pickford against Leicester.”
Pickford made seven saves against Leicester to continue his sensational form - which was his joint-most stops in a Premier League match when finishing on the winning side, level with the amount he made in Everton's 2-0 victory over Bournemouth in January 2019.
Left-back Mykolenko was also named in Crooks’ team after his first goal for the club. The Ukrainian is fast becoming a cult hero at Goodison Park after an understandably difficult start and Sunday’s stunning strike felt like a crowning moment for his newfound status.
Crooks said: “When you consider what is taking place in Ukraine at the moment with the Russian invasion, it's a testament to Mykolenko's strength, courage and resilience that he's in any fit mental state to play professional football.
“To bring the Ukraine international into the starting line-up at this time must have raised some eyebrows. Nevertheless, the full-back's outstanding goal provided the impetus for the Toffees - who have never been relegated from the Premier League - to go on and win the game and take three vital points. Everton are now back in the driving seat having taken six points from their past two games.”
