Everton winger Anthony Gordon was a revelation at Goodison Park last season but hasn’t been able to escape the criticism from the media.
Gordon was one of the shining lights in a dull season for Everton fans, developing into a key player despite his age. His performances have led to widespread praise for the 21-year-old, but criticism over his alleged diving have also received coverage throughout the media.
Boyhood Evertonian and former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher was quick to discuss Gordon’s antics following the most recent Merseyside derby.
“Anthony Gordon has been a revelation since Frank Lampard came in. He just jumps over Naby Keita’s outstretched leg. There’s been a tendency of this from Anthony Gordon, in the few games we’ve seen him. He’s frustrated, he can’t believe it… but that’s crept into his game. He’s somebody we’ve got to keep an eye on now,” said Carragher, as relayed by the Daily Mail.
Gordon was denied two debatable penalties during Everton’s defeat to Liverpool towards the end of the season, and Carragher showed no signs of believing either incident was deserving of a foul.
The Everton man has now responded to recent critics, following an impressive display for the England U21s.
“People have been calling me a diver of late, I’m not sure why. If you look back at the games, I’m getting kicked quite a lot. I’ll take it as a compliment because I must be doing something well. I know what I bring to the table. I know I’m not a diver, videos prove that. I might go down every now and then but that’s because I’m getting kicked. I don’t know what people want me to do. I’m just going to do my best and keep getting at people,” said Gordon, as relayed by The Independent.
Gordon was named Man of the Match following England’s demolition of Albania midweek, and his direct running and trickery was too much for the opposition defence. The Everton youth product was fouled five times during the game, with an Albania player being shown a second yellow for one of the tackles on Gordon.
The comments from Carragher seemed a little unnecessary, claiming he’s a player that we need to keep an eye on. Due to his directness and electric pace, minimal contact is needed to force Gordon to the floor. As we so often see with Jack Grealish for Manchester City and England, these type of players regularly get targeted during games, and the proof was in the pudding as Gordon was consistently upended whilst on International duty.