Tony Bellew absolutely blown away by ‘special’ Everton player vs Arsenal

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Everton held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.

It was a pretty dull encounter, but Iliman Ndiaye marked his return to the starting line-up with a goal from the penalty spot.

Idrissa Gana Gueye was voted Man of the Match by Everton fans, and there have been calls to offer him a one-year contract, with his current deal due to expire at the end of the season.

Dwight McNeil made a late cameo appearance, which was his first under David Moyes, having been sidelined through knee surgery.

Alex Iwobi was pleased to see McNeil back in action, too, as he sent him a well-wish on Instagram after the game.

And, former world champion boxer Tony Bellew was also quick to hail one Everton star in particular for his display.

• READ MORE: Everton and Liverpool in transfer battle for ‘world class’ £29m player

Tony Bellew labels Jordan Pickford ‘special’

Everton have been fortunate to have some fantastic goalkeepers over the years and it’s becoming apparent that Jordan Pickford is right up there with the best.

The England international, who joined from Sunderland in 2017, has established himself as one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League.

Pickford’s exceptional shot-stopping was again on show yesterday as he kept out a goal-bound Leandro Trossard effort in truly remarkable style, even if it was offside.

Tony Bellew took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and referenced the save, labelling him a ‘special’ keeper.

Pickford stats vs Arsenal

Aside from Gueye, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more consistent performer than Pickford for Everton this season and his statistics against Arsenal evince just how solid he was.

Here they are, as per Sofascore.

• 90 minutes
• 40 touches
• 20 accurate passes
• 3 saves
• 1 punch
• 1 clearance

Pickford is the definition of a modern goalkeeper, as he’s equally as good with his feet as he is with his hands.

And aged just 31, the former Sunderland man likely has at least four more years at the top level, so it’ll be a while yet until Everton need to think about replacing him.

Certainly one of the best signings of the Farhad Moshiri era.