Roy Keane strongly criticized Jordan Pickford after a mistake between the goalkeeper and Marc Guehi almost allowed Latvia to score against England.
Despite a tough defense from Latvia, England managed to win 3-0 in their 2026 World Cup qualifier at Wembley Stadium.
At the 18-minute mark, with the score still 0-0, England nearly faced an embarrassing moment due to a defensive mix-up.
Latvian striker Vladislavs Gutkovskis broke through the defense after a good run and challenge with Guehi.
Pickford rushed out to the edge of the penalty area to intercept Gutkovskis but instead confused Guehi due to a lack of communication.
The ball slipped between them, leaving Gutkovskis with an open net.
However, Gutkovskis missed the chance, hitting the side netting after getting past Pickford.
During halftime analysis, Keane pointed the finger at the Everton goalkeeper, expressing strong disapproval of Pickford`s involvement in the incident.
Speaking on ITV, Keane commented: “It was poor from England. Sometimes goalkeepers get restless.”
“But when Pickford comes out like that, you want to tell him, ‘mind your own business, let the defender handle it.’ I would definitely be critical of Pickford in that situation.”
Ian Wright agreed, stating that Pickford should have “trusted” Guehi to manage the situation.
Despite Keane`s criticism, the game was significant for Pickford as he equaled Joe Hart and David Seaman with 75 caps for England.
Only Peter Shilton has earned more caps for England as a goalkeeper than Pickford.
Keane also commented that England`s overall performance was just average.
The former Manchester United captain added: “If this were a school report, it would be graded as a C-plus.”
“It’s a positive start for the manager with two wins secured. However, the final execution wasn`t impressive.”
“They have much more potential to show. It was just satisfactory.”
Keane also made a sarcastic remark about Arsenal during halftime.
He praised Myles Lewis-Skelly for earning the free-kick that led to Reece James`s opening goal.
Keane said: “Lewis-Skelly here… he has clearly learned that tactic well at Arsenal over the years. It was a 50-50 call.”