Was Jordan Pickford let down by his 'magic water bottle'? Fans call Everton goalkeeper's 'bluff' after penalty drama against Leeds
Everton were on course to secure a draw at newly promoted Leeds until James Tarkowski's controversial handball in the 82nd minute.
That call went to VAR and was hotly contested by Everton's players, but ultimately Chris Kavanagh's decision stood and Pickford had to face the music.
The Toffees goalkeeper launched into his classic ritual of checking his water bottle, where he writes the penalty routines of the takers he is likely to face.
Pickford faced down substitute Lukas Nmecha and though he ultimately dived the right way, he was unable to save the low effort from the German.
But fans think that the English custodian was left to guess, and perhaps lacked conviction in his dive as a result - because they don't think Nmecha's name would have been on the bottle.
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'No chance Pickford has Nmecha written on his bottle,' said one viewer on X.
'Pickford was looking at his bottle and it looked like he didn't have any notes for Nmecha lmao,' said another.
'Loving the point when Pickford looks on his bottle for the penalty taker but Nmecha wasnt on there lol,' one commented.
'Nmecha calling Pickford looking at the water bottle a bluff, he knows,' another wrote.
'Pickford's bottle didn't help him, lol,' one said.
Some felt that maybe the goalie had listed Nmecha, with one broadcaster writing: 'Even Jordan Pickford's magic water bottle could not save the day.'
Ultimately, Pickford did dive the right way, so in the end he made a decent stab at saving the spot-kick, whether or not Nmecha's routine was written on his bottle.
Until Monday night, Nmecha's most recent penalty was back in 2021, and he was on the bench as a newcomer to Leeds, so the likelihood is that he was not on Pickford's list.
Nmecha himself accused Pickford of mind games after the match, saying: 'I think that was a bit of a bluff to be fair. I don't think I was one of the names on there.'
In total, according to Transfermarkt, Pickford has saved 10 of 66 penalties that he has faced throughout his career for club and country.
His study of where takers typically go has proven valuable in the past, such as when he saved Manuel Akanji's spot-kick in the shoot-out between England and Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
And we have also seen the cheat sheet produce results in the Premier League.
He denied Erling Haaland last campaign and one camera angle showed that he had calculated the probability of Haaland shooting right, left or down the centre.
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