'He's asleep' - Joe Cole criticises Everton star after Chelsea defeat

Former Chelsea winger Joe Cole (Picture: Getty)

Joe Cole singled out Jordan Pickford for criticism after Everton’s defeat to Chelsea, suggesting the goalkeeper was ‘asleep’ for Pedro Neto’s second goal.

Chelsea moved up into fourth with a hard-fought 2-0 away win against David Moyes’ side at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Xabi Alonso’s side opened the scoring straight after the half-time interval when Neto swept home Jorrel Hato’s cross into the bottom-right corner.

And the Portuguese international doubled his tally to secure all three points in the 90th minute, making the most of a fortunate bounce from a free-kick to curl a composed finish past a scrambling Pickford.

But Cole was quick to criticise Pickford for his positioning, telling Premier League Productions post-match: ‘Look at Pickford’s position, I think he’s asleep a little bit there.

‘I can only think he must think he’s going out for a corner, to be that far away, there’s no reason.

‘Neto just can’t believe his luck; when do you ever get the ball stationary in a box with a whole goal to aim at? It doesn’t happen, so it was a bit of luck, it was a gift.

Pedro Neto scored twice to secure victory for Chelsea (Picture: Shutterstock)

‘But what I would say is, I think this Chelsea team, for the way they defended today, Everton didn’t have a chance; there were a couple of half-chances, so I think they deserved it.’

Speaking after the game, Alonso appeared most proud of his side’s defensive display in earning their first clean sheet of the season.

‘Really pleased with the performance, with the win, with the clean sheet, many positives to build from today,’ he said.