Jordan Pickford squares up to Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar as tempers boil over after Everton beat Newcastle... but Eddie Howe plays down 13-man scuffle as 'just emotions'

Sunderland fan Jordan Pickford was at the heart of a 13-man scuffle as tempers flared after after Everton's victory over Newcastle at Goodison Park on Thursday night.

The Toffees had won the game 3-0 to lift themselves out of the relegation zone for the first time since their 10-point deduction and former Sunderland man Pickford riled up the Magpies at every opportunity. 

The 29-year-old clashed with Newcastle duo Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar on the pitch at full-time, throwing his gloves dramatically to the ground as if to beckon the Brazilian to fight. 

Guimaraes ace was seen pointing in the face of Pickford, who made a point of showing he was up for a clash before grinning broadly. Other players then piled in, though the conflict was short-lived with Pickford and Guimarares led away by team-mates. 

Pickford exchanged words with Newcastle defender Schar and was later seen heading back down the tunnel - but not before he'd shown off some shadow boxing for the cameras following the altercation on the pitch. 

It was not clear what sparked the bust-up but Pickford, a Sunderland fan who played in their academy from the age of eight, could have angered Newcastle's stars with his wild celebrations and antics during the game. 

At one point with Everton ahead, he made a point of catching the ball and falling down to the turf slowly to the delight of the home fans an annoyance of opposition players.  

Joelinton refused to let the argument lie as he also had to be dragged away by Newcastle's coaching staff during the scuffle after full time and as many as 13 men were seen embroiled in the row.

Joelinton, Anthony Gordon, James Tarkowski were also involved in the melee.

Evidently, the argument did not affect Pickford's jubilant mood and Everton captioned the video of Pickford shadow-boxing off the pitch: 'That full time feeling.'

Pickford's Sunderland roots are well established and he is known for being a showman between the sticks at times. 

He played for Newcastle's fierce rivals as a junior between 2002-11 and then as a professional from 2011-17, with a number of loan moves away before signing for the Toffees for £30million.  

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe later played down the post-match scuffle as 'just emotions'.

He said: 'The game was there for us to win in the second half after an even first half,' he said. 'I don't think we played particularly well.

'I thought we had them penned in and then conceded the first goal and that changed the momentum. It was a frustrating evening, a missed opportunity.'

Dwight McNeil, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Beto scored in the final 11 minutes as the Toffees took the spoils at a raucous Goodison Park