Arsenal vs Everton Player Ratings: Jordan Pickford error costs the Blues

You must be watching a different game to me. Pickford made a rare error for the 1st goal that did cost us the game.

Nothing to do with player selections or positions, we were a few minutes away from a point away against arguably the best side in Europe, and it could have been more.

Maybe the team selections before the game started were slightly questionable, but the performance wasn't. Isn't this down to the players and management?

Not criticising him, it's just what happened.

Hypothetically, if Pickford makes the same error in the first minute of a game and we then scored 2 to win the game, with him making the sort of saves that he made earlier in this game later in the hypothetical game, his error would be glossed over and you’d be giving him a higher mark than 5.

One marginal mistake shouldn’t lose any player more than 1 mark irrespective of the consequences.

Some save off the header that.

Better than the Newcastle one imo.

Let’s face it, if Arsenal hadn’t scored tonight all you’d have seen on Match of the Day was how they should have had a penalty.

And if they’d scored from the penalty and won the game 1 nil then Keane would be the villain.

But because the penalty isn’t given he gets away with clumsily treading on Havertz’s heel and apparently did nothing wrong all game.

This marking system is nuts if it gives so much weight to consequences.

He didn't cost us more than raya with his saves, ili with his knee shot, or mcneil shooting it straight to the opponents legs, did he?? He could have made the same mistake and have the ball cleared by a team mate, had it been so you wouldn't say he cost us the game would you?

Yes Beto gave a mature display. He played like an old man.

I thought as a team we played very well against one of the top teams in the world and feel bad for the lads.

Jordan is a superb keeper. Another worldy today but in the end it didn't matter because the gooner was offside. We are so lucky to have him.

Hear hear 👍

Very well said.

Jordan is simply brilliant, and showed it again with that save today, but nobody can make every decision correctly and instantly. In my view he hesitated ever so slightly in properly deciding to come for that cross, and it was that instant of uncertainty that cost him, not the decision itself.

And Jay #1, no, it was not a mistake for him to come up for the second goal. Nothing to lose at that point.

There's no keeper in the PL I'd rather have. I've felt that way for years and still do.

'Nuff said.

Armstrong and Rohl were nowhere near the pace of the game, both mentally or physically, and the least said about Barry the better. He can't even come on for 20 minutes and hold the ball up once. For a fella who's 6'-5", he needs to be looking at his overall application and dedication to the cause.

Gutsy performance with our two best defenders missing, but the same scenario this summer remains as last: We need a better centre-forward.

If we didn’t have Pickford we would be playing in the Championship now.

Beto was doing a great job as a physical presence and was playing a much better game of holding up the ball than usual. Tim and Dwight were both tiring, but being very effective in keeping pressure on Arsenal.

I still have no idea what the point of subbing someone in the 94th minute is, there is not a player in any sport who is operating at full pitch for the first couple of minutes, whereas those already involved have a feel for the game?

Aristotle recognised four kinds of "cause", of which the immediate one preceding an event is the efficient cause, and the material cause is the structural condition which led to the event... So a match might be the efficient cause of a fire, but the nature of paper as something flammable is the formal cause.

In this game, Jordan Pickford's error was the efficient cause, but the material cause was the changes to the composition of the team to a much less effective one. In fact, none of the subs contributed positively at all, and the changes led to a structural weakening which Arsenal took advantage of.

As to the second goal, it is of no consequence whatsoever. Using a Game Theoretic approach -- Everton are about to lose within the next minute or two, if Pickford is involved in scoring a goal (even by distracting a defender sufficiently), then Everton earn a point.

If (as happened) Arsenal get a breakaway and score, the result, and the number of points earned is unchanged; there is a minor change to goal difference.

It was therefore absolutely correct to weigh the massive benefit of a goal accruing from the enhanced attack, against the minimal effect of a minus 1 on the goal difference.

Substituting Beto. Barry's lack of everything and useless control effectively left us with 10 men and nothing up front.

Jordans superman impression. He'd already gotten away with one earlier in the game.

Goalkeepers are taught, if you come, you've gotta get it. The cross was an excellent one. Arsenal had loaded the far post. Jordan realised this. However, he should have left the cross and tried to block any attempt from the Arsenal lads.

However, hindsight is a wonderful thing and he will be inconsolable with himself. Had he tipped it out, then a point was a certainty.

At the other end, Raya was also caught out a couple of times flailing. He got away with it.

Pickford is a loyal and true Blue. We are lucky to have him.

One mistake shouldn't be the reason a player will lose plenty of marks in the ratings.

Yet one terrific save or scoring a goal will get you marked as MotM when it's obvious that player wasn't the best player on the field in that game, which happens quite a lot.

Barry 3
Ndiaye 7.5
Dewsbury-Hall 7
Gueye 6

The professionals apparently prefer a holistic consideration, as do I.

‘The holistic perspective — judging a goalkeeper's total contribution over 90 minutes rather than a single moment — is often considered more "reasonable" by professional coaches and data analysts. However, it is frequently ignored by fans and media because the goalkeeper's role is uniquely vulnerable to several psychological and structural factors.

Why the Holistic View is Often Ignored

Visibility and Finality of Errors: In goalkeeping, mistakes are highly visible and almost always lead to a goal (99% chance), whereas a mistake by a striker or midfielder can often be covered by teammates. This leads to an "action bias" where the one thing that happened (the goal) carries more weight than the many things that were prevented (the saves).

Dichotomous Rating: Goalkeepers are often rated on an extreme dichotomy — either a "clean sheet hero" or a "match-loser" — with very little room for a "gray area" or nuanced performance review in public perception.

The "Omission Bias": People tend to suffer more regret over a negative outcome that follows an action (like a keeper coming out and missing the ball) than one that follows inaction. This makes active mistakes feel more "costly" than the passive failure of not being able to reach a world-class strike.

Lack of Standardised Metrics: Unlike outfield players who have numerous measurable touches and passes, goalkeepers have far fewer "data points". This lack of easy-to-digest stats makes it harder for the average viewer to see a "good" overall game if one obvious mistake is present.

Deflection of Blame: Field players (and fans) may unconsciously use the goalkeeper's mistake as a "deflection" to avoid owning their own deficiencies, such as missed chances at the other end or defensive breakdowns that happened before the ball even reached the keeper.

The Professional Reality

While the public often focuses on the error, modern professional analysis uses metrics like xGOT (Expected Goals On Target) to measure "Goals Prevented". If a keeper makes saves worth 3.0 xGOT but concedes one 0.1 xG mistake, a coach would still view the performance as a net positive, even if the media claims they "cost the team the game".'

I think you have gone to a lot of work to produce that post so I honestly don't won't to make light of it.

The fans watching with their eyes will make their own opinions and the professional analysts will continue to make their own well paid opinions.

The professional footballers will all know if they have had a good game or a poor one. They will put their hands up when they have made a mistake and take the praise when they have done – while you and me will just have a civil debate about the merits or otherwise of a players performance.

It seems to me that both Keane and McNeill have gained a bit of extra pace this season. Am I imagining this or has anybody else noticed it?

I think McNeil, while slow, has always had a quick football brain which he uses very well at times.

I think you are imagining Keane's extra pace!

Usually when that happens, the player is rarely selected unless there are quite a few injuries and the manager has no choice; but fair play, he was obviously putting in a shift in training and Moyes selected him.

I also think that this side is just a couple of signings away from being a very good team. Let's hope our summer signings are better than last summer's, and maybe we can then challenge for trophies.

I just asked AI to outline the Holistic Perspective and why it's not everyone's point of view. Then it's just cut and paste to put the result on here.

Si (30), When it comes to cut and post or copy and post I haven't got a clue. I'm afraid when it comes to technology with iPads, I've got learning difficulties!