Jordan Pickford had a secret to blocking James Madison’s penalty (PK).
Leicester City and Everton drew 1-1 in the 34th round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2022-23 season held at King Power Stadium in Leicester, England on May 2 at 4:00 am (Korean time). Leicester have moved up to 16th, while Everton remain 19th.
Since the teams are in the relegation zone, a fierce battle unfolded. Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring in the 15th minute to take the lead. In the 22nd minute of the first half, Chalar Søwinju scored an equalizer. In the 33rd minute of the first half, James Vardy scored a come-from-behind goal to make it 2-1. Leicester took a chance to take the lead by winning a first-half extra time penalty (PK). As a kicker, Madison, who has good kicking ability, stepped up. 안전놀이터
Madison confidently kicked into the center, but Pickford blocked it. Pickford roared and away Everton fans cheered. The first half ended with Leicester leading 2-1, with Everton not conceding any more goals. A local relay camera later showed a water bottle next to the pickpod. In the water bottle, there was data analyzing Madison, Jamie Vardy, and Yuri Thielemans, who are likely to be kickers if Leicester kicks PK.
If you look closely, the center is 60%. Pickford believed in this analysis and placed himself in the center and was able to block Madison PK. The British public broadcaster ‘BBC’ highlighted, “Pickford received excellent preparations. It was data analyzing Leicester’s PK kickers. This was very effective.”
With Pickford blocking a Madison PK, the game headed into the second half. The second half was also very intense. It was 2-2 when Alex Iwobi equalized. After the score was tied, the two teams attacked like crazy. Everton had more good chances, but Daniel Iversen’s saves blocked them one after another. Leicester also attacked with Madison and the body, but it did not lead to a goal. The game ended 2-2.
“I did my homework well,” Pickford said in a post-game interview. “I was told this morning where I was going to play in PK. Madison is a good player. I didn’t know where he was going to play, but I analyzed it well and blocked it. I was one step above him. It was a good moment and I was happy to be able to stop PK. I guess that’s why I’m doing this interview here.”