Everton’s Jordan Pickford had his cheat sheet displayed on his water bottle just before he made a pivotal save against Erling Haaland’s penalty kick in the clash with Manchester City.

Pickford, 30 years old, has been in outstanding form for the Toffees recently, consistently delivering strong performances as Sean Dyche’s team fights to remain out of the Premier League relegation zone this season.

Everton keeper Jordan Pickford saved Manchester City star Erling Haaland's penalty

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Everton keeper Jordan Pickford saved Manchester City star Erling Haaland’s penaltyCredit: Rex
Pickford tried to put Haaland off with funny faces before the penalty

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Pickford attempted to distract Haaland with humorous expressions prior to the penalty
But Pickford also had a cheat sheet on his water bottle before the penalty

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However, Pickford also had a cheat sheet on his water bottle prior to the penalty

Called into action 53 minutes into the game with the score at 1-1 at the Etihad Stadium, Pickford reacted after teammate Iliman Ndiaye equalized following Bernardo Silva’s initial goal.

The skillful play from Savinho saw him maneuver the ball past Vitalii Mykolenko, resulting in a foul inside the box, thus granting Manchester City a penalty opportunity.

Twenty-four-year-old Haaland took the penalty, aiming to boost Man City’s morale following a series of disappointing outcomes, with only one win in their last 12 encounters.

The star striker remained composed despite distractions from Everton captain Seamus Coleman, who was cautioned for his attempts to unsettle him.

In a bid to unnerve the Norwegian, Pickford mimicked a comedic expression reminiscent of the intimidating haka performed by New Zealand rugby players, sticking out his tongue.

Unlike Coleman’s approach, Pickford’s strategy paid off as he dove to his right and successfully deflected Haaland’s shot with relative ease.

Despite Haaland heading the ball into the net afterward, the goal was disallowed for offside.

Cameras captured Pickford stealing a glance at the cheat sheet on his water bottle just before the penalty kick.

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This cheat sheet contained details on the typical shooting locations for Manchester City’s regular penalty takers.

The statistics highlighted the shooting tendencies for players like Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish, and Mateo Kovacic.

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The stats indicated that Foden generally shoots to the goalkeeper’s left, Doku to the right, Grealish in the center, and Kovacic to the right.

Interestingly, Haaland’s shooting statistics were not displayed on that side of the bottle, despite him being the designated penalty taker for the Citizens.

Ultimately, Pickford emerged as the hero, successfully securing a crucial point for Everton.

Conversely, Manchester City’s struggles persisted, with just one win in their last 13 games, suffering nine losses during that period.