Is Henderson battling Pickford for his England spot?

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There it is, the final lingering piece of Premier League intrigue may have departed us, at least as it pertains to Crystal Palace. For the most pessimistic among us, they can't even speak of an Oldham-esque outcome anymore.

Palace can still be influential in the race for the league title but with their eyes on the Conference League, it's hard to imagine that thwarting either Pep Guardiola or Mikel Arteta is a high priority this month.

So, as Sunday's result against Everton was possibly not the most consequential, there was a separate battle that will be for Thomas Tuchel and England this summer - the goalkeepers.

There is little argument over Jordan Pickford and Dean Henderson being the leading pair of options. The broader debate may be that they are the only two credible options.

There are clear similarities between the two with the self-belief they exhibit and the leadership roles they play within their teams. More importantly, they are both great shot-stoppers. In that sense, they are often rallying points for both sets of fans.

A clean sheet may be the most overused or overstated statistic in football. How often have we seen a keeper escape 90 minutes unchallenged and given credit over a player called into action?

In the past two games, despite conceding three, Henderson saved nine others on target. The saves against Pedrinho and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were game-changers in each. In the opposite goal on Sunday, Pickford was key in earning a point for his team.

By Opta's goals prevented metric, these performances have held up throughout the season. Henderson is +4.4 to Pickford's +5.6, placing both in the top five goalkeepers in the division.

Pickford, despite the chants from the Palace fans, may still be England's number one in June. Fortunately, should anything prevent that, the team are still in safe hands with Henderson.

Find more from Alex Pewter at FYP podcast

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