Jordan Pickford is a legend! Everton keeper pulled hilarious faces to put Erling Haaland off before saving Man City star’s penalty - as image of ‘penalty cheatcode’ water bottle emerges

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.

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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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.

Pickford's heroics denied City a win as they were held to a 1-1 stalemate. Pep Guardiola's men have now won just once in their last 13 matches and find themselves sixth in the standings. They could further slide down the table if other results do not go in their favour.