Anthony Gordon sees penalty saved as Newcastle held by former club Everton

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s first penalty save in almost 18 months ensured Anthony Gordon endured a miserable return to Goodison Park with current club Newcastle.

Gordon was booed throughout the goalless draw following his acrimonious departure in January 2023 but had the chance to make his point 10 minutes before half-time, only to be denied by his England team-mate’s first spot-kick save in nine attempts.

It was celebrated like a last-minute winner as a first Premier League clean sheet of the season earned Everton a fifth point from the last three games, after taking none from the first four, while the joy was heightened by the identity of the taker, whose links with a summer move to Liverpool only intensified the reaction.

Gordon had scored from the spot in last weekend’s draw against Manchester City but he missed the first of his career at arguably the one place he would have been desperate to find the target, having scored just once in his 15 previous appearances on the ground playing for both clubs.

His miss – and Pickford’s first save since denying James Maddison at Leicester in May 2023 – took the attention away from captain James Tarkowski, whose ridiculous decision to wrestle Sandro Tonali to the ground was only ever going to result in one outcome.

But while Everton’s momentum is gradually growing, Newcastle’s is stalling with a third match without a win following their best start to a Premier League campaign in 13 years.

The pattern was set early on after Bruno Guimaraes’ shot was blocked on the line by Iliman Ndiaye, although the midfielder knew little about it with the ball ricocheting off the inside of his leg and wide of the post.

Everton’s chances were rare but Abdoulaye Doucoure thought he had