Newcastle's Anthony Gordon had a , just a week after expressing his confidence in taking penalties.
In Newcastle's previous home game, won and successfully converted a penalty to secure a draw against Manchester City. He was given another opportunity to score from the spot on Saturday evening when referee Craig Pawson awarded Eddie Howe's team a penalty at Goodison Park.
The decision came after an extensive VAR review, with James Tarkowski deemed to have brought down Sandro Tonali. However, Tarkowski was let off the hook as Pickford easily saved the penalty taken by his England colleague Gordon.
Everton supporters seemed to relish the miss from their ex-player, who transferred to Newcastle for £45m in January 2023. The 23-year-old led the line once again in the absence of Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, but found himself having to swallow his words after his confident remarks about his penalty-taking skills just a week prior.
"I practice a lot," Gordon revealed to Match of the Day following the City match. "I think coming through the ranks with the England youth teams, the FA introduced a process for penalties so now I have my own process which means essentially nothing else matters in that moment except my process. I take the penalty on my terms, my time and I feel really confident taking them.
"I focus on what is important. Get your process, get what works for you and take it when you're ready, not when the goalkeeper is ready of course. I do a lot of breathing techniques to zone out and focus on the ball."
Gordon's previous two goals this season have both resulted in 1-1 draws, one at home against City and the other away at Bournemouth. Pickford denied him the chance to add a third goal to his tally at the stadium he once called home.
Ahead of the match, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe discussed Gordon's return to the club where he first turned professional. The Liverpool-born player netted seven times in 78 appearances for Everton before heading north.
"Having been back there twice, this will be his third time and I think each time, it's been slightly easier for Anthony but, still, he'll be emotional," Howe shared with journalists. "He's human and I think there'll be lot of things going through him as he plays the game."
"I thought he was excellent last week [against Manchester City], leading the line for us really well on and off the ball. It was a really important performance but you need your vocal point in attack to deliver certain aspects that helps the team."
Howe also expressed his hope that forwards Isak and Wilson would be fit enough to play in Newcastle's upcoming match. After the international break, they'll be back on home turf, hosting Brighton at St James' Park on October 19.
