James Tarkowski believes Everton's defeat to Manchester United was a blunt reminder to his team-mates of the levels they must be at if they are to avoid relegation.
The Blues suffered a setback in their bid to avoid relegation to the Championship when they were beaten 2-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday. Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial were both on target for Erik ten Hag’s side.
However, had it not been for goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, Everton could have easily lost by more. The England international made a string of brilliant saves in either half to keep the score down.
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"He's outstanding, and you see it today because we gave them golden opportunities," Tarkowski said when asked about Pickford.
"I think it's just a reminder of the levels we need to be at to stay in this league. It's a minor blip in what has been a good run. We've just got to focus on the next one."
The Blues now find themselves one place above the drop zone. But despite the defeat, Tarkowski believes his side must now focus on getting back on track against Fulham this weekend.
"It's hard to maintain the standard we've been pushing, and some days you have off days like this," he said. "It was a shame we went a goal down late on in the first half.
"Before their second goal, I thought we had a chance. We thought we could stick in there, but not today."
Before the defender added: "I think we look at every game as an opportunity, and we don't look too far ahead of ourselves, especially under this manager. So we will just focus on one game at a time and look forward to next weekend."
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