Tuesday 2 January 2018 15:54, UK
Jordan Pickford has warned Everton need to cut out "sloppy" mistakes if they are to return to the form they had been showing under Sam Allardyce.
The goalkeeper had been beaten only twice in seven previous league games, but Everton lost two matches in quick succession over the festive period, a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth on December 30 before Manchester United won 2-0 at Goodison Park on New Year's day.
United went away with all three points after top quality strikes from Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard but the 23-year-old keeper believes Everton could have done more as a team to keep Jose Mourinho's team at bay.
He told the club's website: "He [Allardyce] has brought a good structure and balance to the side.
"I feel like we know where we stand with him. He is all about the basics and that is where we need to start. If we get the basics right, then we can go and play our football.
"We know what Manchester United are capable of doing and they scored two worldies. But the first goal was a mistake from us up the other end of the pitch and we needed to stop it at source.
"The past couple of games have been a bit sloppy from us. We do enough with the gaffer on the training ground two or three days before the game. We do attack vs defence, which is about blocking shots and stopping crosses.
The result leaves Everton ninth in the Premier League, three points adrift of eighth-place Leicester and two points ahead of Watford in 10th.
Despite the two recent setbacks, Pickford is happy with his lot and is convinced Everton are going places under Allardyce.
He added: "I feel in a good place. I don't feel under any pressure - I just want to keep getting better each week in training and in games.
"We know we need to work hard and when we work, we work properly. It is about getting the balance right on and off the pitch.
"The gaffer is good at that, he has a joke when it is the right time and when we need to work hard, we work hard."
