Jordan Pickford has signed a new Everton contract, keeping him at Goodison Park until 2027.
Reports this week had suggested an agreement with Pickford was close and claimed there would be no relegation clause in the new deal.
Everton have won two of their first three Premier League matches under new manager Sean Dyche but remain firmly in a relegation battle, a point clear of the bottom three in 16th place.
However, that precarious position has not put off Pickford, whose four-and-a-half-year contract was announced on Friday.
Pickford told Everton's club media: "It's massive to sign this new contract at such a special club for me.
"The support I've had from everyone at the club since I joined as a 22-year-old has been so important to my family and me.
"I'm happy here and so are my family. We love it at Everton."
Pickford has been England's starting goalkeeper at their past three major tournaments – the first of those the 2018 World Cup.
That came at the end of Pickford's first season at Everton after joining from boyhood club Sunderland for £30million following their relegation.
Everton finished eighth in 2017-18 – one of three top-half finishes in Pickford's first four campaigns – but last season was a struggle as the club came 16th.
"Everton is a massive club," Pickford added. "The past few seasons have not been what we wanted.
"But we now have a manager who I believe will point us in the right direction and get us up the table. It's definitely my aim to be successful at this club."
Pickford was crucial to keeping Everton up last season, pulling off a string of brilliant saves in huge wins over Chelsea and Leicester City in May.
He carried that form into the new campaign, but he was unable to make the stops to ensure Frank Lampard survived a year in the job.
Based on Opta's xGOT model (expected goals on target), Pickford still has a positive goals prevented figure (1.8), which ranks him seventh in the league out of goalkeepers to have played at least one game.
England team-mate Nick Pope is ahead of him (2.9), while Liverpool's Alisson tops the charts with 9.8 goals prevented in the top flight this term.
Everton and Pickford welcome Aston Villa to Goodison Park on Saturday as Dyche aims to win a third straight home game.
Airdrie defeat leaves Morton rock bottom
Morton slipped to the bottom of the Scottish Championship after a 1-0 home defeat to Airdrie extended their winless streak to six matches.
Home midfielder Robbie Muirhead curled an effort against the post in the 27th minute.
But Airdrie went ahead five minutes later when Lewis McGregor drilled home at the near post.
The visitors thought they had sealed the win with 14 minutes remaining, only for Calum Gallagher’s effort to be ruled out for offside.
Swansea run out convincing winners in Championship clash at Millwall
Swansea made it back-to-back Championship wins as they ran out convincing 3-0 winners at Millwall.
The Welsh club had taken just two points from a possible 21 in a torrid seven-game winless run in the English second tier with head coach Michael Duff beginning to feel the heat.
But they collected all three points in south London with goals from Jamal Lowe, Matt Grimes and Mykola Kukharevych on target.
The first major chance fell to Millwall in the 17th minute, but Swansea goalkeeper Carl Rushworth kept out Duncan Watmore’s effort after the attacker had played a one-two with Kevin Nisbet to race goalwards.
Swansea struggled to create in the opening stages but took the lead in the 23rd minute. Referee John Busby failed to spot a shirt pull by Jake Cooper inside the penalty area on Jerry Yates but was alerted to the infringement by his assistant.
Lowe produced a stuttering run-up before sending Bartosz Bialkowski the wrong way with the resulting penalty to end the hosts’ hopes of a third-straight clean sheet as he scored in successive matches.
Lowe went close to a second before the half-hour mark as he latched on to an excellent crossfield pass by Ben Cabango, only for Bialkowski to claw away the attempt.
Lions boss Gary Rowett had already ditched his three-man central defence during a lacklustre opening 45 minutes and made a double change at the break, bringing on Romain Esse and Joe Bryan for Ryan Longman and Brooke Norton-Cuffy as he tried to spark more life into the hosts – instead they went 2-0 down after 57 minutes.
Some neat interplay offered an inviting opening for skipper Grimes and his 20-yard strike squeezed under Bialkowski.
Millwall had chances to reduce the deficit, but Watmore produced a tame effort from five yards out after Nisbet had bulldozed past Harry Darling.
Swansea goalkeeper Carl Rushworth tipped over a long-distance effort by Ryan Leonard and then produced a point-blank stop from Nisbet – the ball striking him flush in the face.
Home fans vented their anger at Rowett after Swansea scored a third in the 80th minute, Kukharevych headed home Josh Key’s cross from the right of the penalty area.
It sealed the visitors’ first victory on the road since a 3-0 success at Norwich in April.
Cardwell at the double as Southend hit back to draw at Rochdale
Harry Cardwell struck twice for Southend as they fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Rochdale.
Jimmy Keohane fired home a rebound to give Rochdale an early lead and Kairo Mitchell headed them 2-0 up, with Jesurun Uchegbulam prominent in the build-up to both goals.
Southend reduced the deficit through Cardwell’s header before the interval and the forward hauled the Shrimpers level with his ninth league goal of the season, heading home Jack Wood’s cross in the 64th minute.
The impressive Uchegbulam’s fierce effort was well saved by visiting goalkeeper David Martin as Southend, deducted 10 points at the start of the season for breaching financial rules, remain second from bottom in the National League.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
