Everton boss Frank Lampard praised Jordan Pickford after their 0-0 draw at Fulham.
Lampard felt Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic also deserved a red card for a first-half challenge on Idrissa Gueye.
He said, "I will take that. We got a lot of credit last week and today we were not at that level. Last year we would lose that game so there is progress, but I want more.
"Fulham have got an individual up front [Aleksandar Mitrovic] who is big, he holds it and they play off him and create momentum. People get excited by one performance last week but I don't. We are still in that process. It's a long road and we are in the early stages of it.
"It was a red card for Mitrovic, I have nothing against him but he knew, he put his arm up straight away. VAR is there to deal with these things. Last year our midfielder Allan got a yellow, it was upgraded to red and he got a four-game ban. It was nowhere near as forceful as that one tonight. It was a red card and we haven't had those decisions this year.
"Jordan Pickford has been great, he's top-level. Last week he had his feet up, this week he did his job. We are delighted to have him."