Newcastle United have suffered a major setback ahead of the Carabao Cup final after goalkeeper Nick Pope was sent off in Saturday’s Premier League defeat to Liverpool. The English goalkeeper was sent off in the evening’s game for a handball outside his penalty area and is now suspended for the match against Manchester United at Wembley.
It was a night to forget for Eddie Howe’s men, who suffered their second defeat of the season after a remarkable run. Liverpool took a 17-minute lead thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, leaving the Magpies with a mountain to climb. But the evening took another turn for the worse when Nick Pope was sent for an early shower in the 22nd minute.
The 25-year-old goalkeeper, who has been a mainstay in goal for Saint James’ Park, came out of the penalty area to prevent Mohamed Salah from scoring. However, his attempt to deal with the loose ball failed, forcing him to use his hands to stop the ball while being out of the 18-yard box. Watch
Pope subsequently received a straight red card for the offense, prompting Eddie Howe to replace him with second-choice goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. The latter, who was recently returned form a loan spell at Manchester United, held his own and closed shop, as Liverpool failed to score following his introduction.
Needless to say, the Newcastle dressing room is concerned, as Saturday’s incident means Nick Pope will be ineligible to play in next week’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester United. This is in accordance with the rules of England’s top flight.
Meanwhile, back-up goalkeeper Martin Dubravka will be unavailable for selection because he was used in cup competition by the Red Devils during his brief stint at the club and is thus cup tied. This means that former Liverpool goalkeeper Lloris Karius will be available for selection as Newcastle compete for their first major trophy since 1955 at Wembley.
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