Jordan Pickford did everything he could to put Erling Haaland off before saving the Manchester City striker's penalty.

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• Pickford came out on top against Haaland
• Saved the Norwegian's effort from the spot
• Water bottle had instructions written on it

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  As Manchester City sought to regain the lead early in the second half, the England goalkeeper’s antics, combined with a well-executed save, stole the spotlight. The penalty came after Vitaly Mykolenko fouled Savinho inside the box, prompting referee Simon Hooper to award the spot-kick. Haaland stepped up with confidence, placing the ball on the penalty spot, but Pickford had other plans. Diving to his right, the Everton shot-stopper made a crucial save, leaving the Norwegian striker frustrated.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Following the save, images surfaced showing Pickford’s water bottle adorned with detailed notes on Manchester City’s penalty takers. The bottle displayed information about the preferred penalty-taking patterns of Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish, and Mateo Kovacic. Each player’s preferred shot placement was meticulously represented in a graph format.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  This isn’t the first time Pickford has relied on written intel to aid his penalty-saving efforts. During Euro 2024, the Everton goalkeeper famously used similar tactics, with notes on Switzerland’s penalty takers written on his water bottle. One notable instruction, "dive left" for Manuel Akanji, helped him pull off a crucial save in that match as well.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News