It's time for your Everton World Cup morning headlines on Tuesday, November 22.
Jordan Pickford commentary error and baseless vendetta can't hide truth Everton fans know
In a game in which England hit Iran for six, the cardboard cut-out of Jordan Pickford that BBC news showed on display at a Knaresborough primary school earlier in the day could have been deployed in between the sticks for long periods but given the dominance of his side, the Everton goalkeeper will be disappointed to have conceded two goals.
The Blues player could not have been faulted for either but predictably, his usual critics will no doubt find some pedantic stick to try and bash him with.
His only real moment of danger came when he dallied in possession, a small transgression that he held his hand up over, before he was beaten out of the blue by Iran’s most-experienced performer on the big stage, Mehdi Taremi, a striker who has turned out for Porto in the Champions League, who has broken the 20-goal barrier for the previous three seasons in the Portuguese top flight.
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Just as Gareth Southgate was preparing to make four changes ahead of the midway point in the second half with his side 4-0 up, the 30-year-old got in between England centre-back pair Harry Maguire and John Stones to crash a volley in off the crossbar, giving Pickford no chance.
Although he had been denied a clean sheet, a smart stoppage time save from Sardar Azmoun looked like Pickford’s goal would only be breached once.
BBC commentator Guy Mowbray initially claimed the Everton keeper had been beaten by the shot, only for Jermaine Jenas to point out to him that it had been tipped onto the crossbar with former England World Cup custodian Rob Green describing it as “fantastic” adding “Pickford waited and waited and as he goes down he keeps his trailing arm above him to make contact.”
Read the full story HERE.
'Absolute joke' - Neville Southall slams FIFA 'OneLove' armband World Cup stance
Former Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall has criticised FIFA for threatening England and six other European nations with punishment had they decided to wear 'OneLove' armbands as planned in World Cup matches.
Belgium, Denmark, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Wales were due to promote their message of inclusivity and LGBTQ+ rights in Qatar, a country where same-sex relationships are criminalised, starting with Harry Kane leading the way in the Three Lions' opener versus Iran on Monday afternoon.
Hours ahead of kick-off, however, it emerged that none of the aforementioned nations would be carrying out this plan any longer after being warned by FIFA that punishment would follow for those participating in this campaign.
An FA statement explaining this decision read : "We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband. However, we cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play."
Offering his view on the controversial stance taken by FIFA on this matter, Everton legend Southall tweeted: "So wearing an armband that includes everyone is wrong. Surely FIFA are going against their own inclusivity policy by penalising players? One country's cash has become a FIFA rule. Absolute joke."
Read the full story HERE.
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