Jordan Pickford has defended Joe Gomez after the Liverpool defender gave away a penalty during England’s 1-0 win over Iceland in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday.
The Everton shot-stopper told Sporf that Gomez ‘had done fantastic all game’, as the spot-kick to Iceland was blazed over the bar by Birkir Bjarnason in stoppage-time – only a minute before Raheem Sterling had scored from the penalty spot for his country.
Iceland’s players didn’t trouble England’s backline, as Gomez produced a solid display for 90 minutes, only to make an error of judgment during the dying moments – and, thankfully, he got away with it.
Despite being rivals at club level, Pickford defended his international teammate, as Liverpool fans will love his comments.
“I think Joe had done fantastic all game,” Pickford told Sporf. “And I think they bought a big lad on for the last five minutes, and there was a lot of bodies around him, so it was a tough one for Joe.
“With us getting a penalty down the other end, I think the referee, I haven’t seen it back, but I think the referee might have made an early decision just to give a pen to them.
“But luckily we got away with one. A clean sheet and a 1-0 win for us away from home, which is good.”
Pickford and Gomez will now turn their attention to Denmark, as they will be hoping to pick up another three points in the UEFA Nations League.
Without Harry Maguire in defence and a recognised left-back, this will be a tougher contest for Southgate’s men, who looked lacklustre against the team that infamously knocked them out of Euro 2016.
A number of familiar faces will be on show for the Denmark clash, including ex-Spurs man, Christian Eriksen, Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel, Chelsea centre-back, Andreas Christensen and Jose Mourinho’s new summer capture, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
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