(Video) How Liverpool fans reacted when Jordan Pickford went out for pre-match warmup at Anfield | OneFootball

Jordan Pickford has, erm, a bit of history when it comes to playing against Liverpool.

The fondest memory of the Everton goalkeeper in Merseyside derbies – from a red persuasion, anyway – is when he inadvertently batted out Virgil van Dijk’s scuffed ‘shot’ in stoppage time at Anfield six seasons ago, unwittingly teeing up Divock Origi to score the winner and spark scenes of euphoria.

On the flip side, Reds fans won’t forget (or forgive) his heinous challenge on the Dutch defender at Goodison Park two years later, when the Toffees netminder recklessly inflicted a nine-month injury layoff on our number 4 and incredibly getting away without so much as a foul being given against him.

Pickford riled Kopites even more in April 2022 with his rather unsubtle time-wasting antics as Everton frustrated title-chasing Liverpool for long spells at Anfield, but those came back to haunt him as the home side prevailed 2-0 and, in added time, Alisson Becker gleefully imitated his opposite number.

The Brazilian misses out tonight, most likely as a result of the concussion that he suffered on international duty, but the Toffees’ number 1 starts for the visitors, and he got an unsurprising welcome on this side of Stanley Park.

(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Pickford roundly jeered by Liverpool fans at Anfield

As the 31-year-old approached the Anfield Road Stand to conduct some warmup drills an hour before kick-off, the Reds fans who’d taken their seats roundly jeered the England international, although he appeared to revel in the role of pantomine villain.

The catcalls for Pickford aren’t necessarily because he plays for Everton, but owe primarily to the season-ending injury that he inflicted on Van Dijk four-and-a-half years ago, and to a lesser extent his theatrics in this fixture in 2022.

We don’t dispute that the former Sunderland goalkeeper is capable of pulling off excellent saves, and a return of nine clean sheets in the Premier League this term for the side in 15th place isn’t to be dismissed lightly.

However, his previous in Merseyside derbies ensure that he’ll never be remotely popular among Liverpool fans, and hopefully the Reds’ strikeforce can stick a few past him tonight!

You can view the footage of Pickford being jeered below, via @CBeesleyEcho on X (formerly Twitter):