Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was wowed by one Everton during the Toffees’ Merseyside Derby victory on Wednesday evening.
Midweek, Sean Dyche’s team rendered a great service to City. Liverpool’s chances of winning the league have all but vanished after the 2-0 victory; they are currently three points behind Arsenal and two points behind the Premier League Champions. Most importantly, City is winning a big game.
Guardiola’s team defeated Brighton and Hove Albion 4-0 at The Amex on Thursday night, looking formidable.
Furthermore, the City manager appeared far more at ease following the match than he did following the FA Cup semi-final victory over Chelsea, when he was complaining about the overabundance of fixtures.
Pep Guardiola singles out ‘exceptional’ Everton player after midweek heroics v Liverpool
Despite a disastrous few weeks, the Spaniard refused to write Liverpool out of the title fight in remarks made following the victory in East Sussex.
Guardiola was also keen to emphasize how excellent a single Everton player was during the Toffees’ victory.
“What happened to Liverpool dropping two games against Palace and Everton can happen to us and happen to Arsenal,” he told the Manchester Evening News.
“Everton, like Forest, is playing for their lives. My appreciation for Liverpool is greater than ever, so perhaps it was a genuine competitor for us. Pickford was outstanding in the match they drew at Old Trafford or yesterday.
Jordan Pickford deserves more credit for what he did this week
Although Pickford’s performance has received high praise, it seems that James Tarkowski, Jamie Braddwaite, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have taken center stage.
All of the players listed above deserve a great deal of praise, but Pickford deserves special recognition for his seven saves and 1.25 goals against allowed [numbers per FotMOB].
There’s no denying that Liverpool did create opportunities. With 23 shots and an expected goals ratio of 2.08, Klopp would have anticipated his team to score goals.
However, Everton’s £30 million man refused to back down and made a number of excellent stops to preserve the Toffees’ clean sheet.
He seems to rise to the occasion at crucial times, which is a great quality in a keeper.
