Jordan Pickford’s actions against Leeds spark call for ban – ‘It’s unacceptable!’

Everton suffered a late defeat away at Leeds United in their opening Premier League fixture, with Jordan Pickford unable to stop Lukas Nmecha’s penalty despite consulting his notes

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O’Hara believes goalkeepers like Jordan Pickford shouldn’t be allowed to have penalty information written on their water bottles. Before Leeds United’s controversial winning spot-kick against Everton, the England international could be seen looking at his bottle, which had the likely placements of each penalty taker printed on there.

It’s not the first time the experienced shot-stopper has done this as he famously used the trick to great effect when the Three Lions beat Switzerland on penalties at Euro 2024. On this occasion, however, it didn’t go to plan as Lukas Nmecha’s penalty was too powerful and out of his reach.

Daniel Farke’s side went on to hold onto their lead to secure a 1-0 victory at Elland Road. Despite Pickford failing in his efforts, O’Hara slammed him and argued that keepers shouldn’t be allowed to have any information about opposing players written on their bottles.

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Speaking on talkSPORT, the ex-Wolves midfielder said: “By the way, Jordan Pickford, the water bottle situation, where they have got the penalties [written on it]. You see him pick his water bottle up, he’s obviously got a load of information on there.

“I’m not having that. I think it needs to be knocked on the head, it needs to be banned, I think you have to ban anything being written on water bottles.

“I think it’s unacceptable. The penalty is a 50/50, you against the keeper, but the keeper has all of the information.

“I don’t think it’s fair, it’s unsportsmanlike, if you’re allowed to have all of the water bottles with all of the information written on it – he dives the right way by the way.”

His eyebrow raising demand baffled his co-presenter Jason Cundy, who could not disagree more with his colleague. The ex-Chelsea midfielder replied: “It’s research. It’s what professional goalkeepers do, they have been doing it for years.

“Every single penalty, you should score. The odds are stacked against the goalkeeper. It’s not 50/50. Most penalties are scored.”

England Lionesses goalkeeper Hannah Hampton also used the same strategy in the Euro 2025 final against Spain, except her information was taped to her arm. As well as having her own notes, the Chelsea star went one step further by picking up the water bottle of Spanish counterpart Cata Coll, who also had notes written on it, and threw it into the crowd.

Hampton went on to save Mariona Caldentey and Aitana Bonmati’s spot-kicks, before Chloe Kelly secured the victory with a ferocious winning penalty. Explaining her strategy, Hampton said: “The Spanish keeper had it on her bottle, so I thought when she was going in goal I’ll just pick it up and throw it into the English fans so she can’t have it.

“I never put it on a bottle because anyone can do that, so that is why I put it on my arm, and the TV caught that. It wasn’t hard – when she has gone in the goal it [the bottle] is on its own, isn’t it? It is in a towel, you just pick it up.”

Everton host Brighton & Hove Albion at Hill Dickinson Stadium in their next match, their first Premier League outing at their new home. Pickford will no doubt have the penalty information of all possible spot-kick takers within Fabian Hurzeler’s side on his bottle once again should it be required.

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