According to a report by Metro on Saturday October 17, 2026, former Chelsea winger Joe Cole has criticized Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford following his side's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.

Chelsea secured all three points at the Hill Dickinson Stadium thanks to a brace from Portuguese winger Pedro Neto, who scored in both halves to give Xabi Alonso's side an important away victory.

However, it was Neto's second goal that attracted particular attention, with Cole questioning Pickford's positioning during the incident.

Chelsea opened the scoring immediately after the half-time interval when Neto finished Jorrel Hato's cross into the bottom-right corner.

The visitors continued to look dangerous as Everton struggled to find a response, and Neto eventually doubled Chelsea's advantage in the 90th minute.

The second goal came after a free-kick produced a fortunate bounce inside Everton's penalty area. Neto took advantage of the opportunity, curling the ball past Pickford to secure the victory for the visitors.

Speaking after the match on Premier League Productions, Cole suggested that the Everton goalkeeper should have been better positioned to deal with the situation.

"Look at Pickford's position, I think he's asleep a little bit there," the former England international said.

Cole questioned why Pickford was positioned so far away from the area he needed to protect, suggesting that the goalkeeper might have expected the ball to go out for a corner.

He also acknowledged the fortunate nature of the goal, explaining that Neto could hardly believe his luck after the ball fell into such a favourable position inside the penalty area.

Despite criticising Pickford, Cole insisted that Chelsea deserved their victory, praising their defensive organisation and pointing out that Everton created very few clear opportunities throughout the contest.

The win was particularly encouraging for Alonso, whose team moved into fourth place in the Premier League table.

The Chelsea manager was delighted with his players' performance, especially their ability to remain organised during difficult periods of the match.

Alonso also highlighted the importance of securing a clean sheet, describing the victory as a professional performance and identifying several positives for the team to build on.

For Everton manager David Moyes, the defeat will be disappointing, particularly because his side struggled to create enough attacking opportunities to trouble Chelsea consistently.

Pickford's positioning during Neto's second goal will undoubtedly attract further scrutiny, but Everton's overall attacking shortcomings also contributed to their defeat.