It is not every season that Newcastle United find themselves in the top end of the Premier League table and in a cup final at Wembley, but this season has been a turnaround for the Magpies. Which makes Sunday’s tie one of the most important games for the club in recent history.
During defeat to the Reds, Nick Pope found himself well out of his box in an attempt to stop Mohamed Salah who was heading towards the goal. After mistakenly touching the ball in the process, the 30-year-old soon found himself down the tunnel after being sent off. Liverpool were ruthless against Newcastle ending the match with a 2-0 victory – Newcastle’s first home loss of the season.
These events occured a week before the Carabao Cup final, Newcastle’s first final in 24 years, and they are set to be without their star keeper. Bad luck struck again for the Black and White Army, as Martin Dubravka’s loan spell to Man United means he is cup-tied for this match. Which leaves two men available for the goal, Loris Karius and Mark Gillespie.
this is a very Newcastle United thing to happen
Karius has not made a competitive start since February 2021, with no starts for Newcastle since joining in September. Disaster with the Reds is not unfamiliar to the German, who watched Real Madrid net three in his goal in the 2018 Champions League final with Liverpool, making two horrific mistakes.
One of the defining moments of his career, and so Newcastle hope not to have a repeat when they come up against a United with a newfound edge and the threat of an on-form Marcus Rashford.
Another option for the Toon Army would be Mark Gillespie, who has only made three appearances for the club, and all were in the 2020 Carabao Cup run. Whilst Karl Darlow, who has made an appearance for the club in this Carabao Cup, is currently on loan to Hull.
Eddie Howe spoke of the disappointment of losing Nick Pope after the match stating, “He’s been magnificent this season and he doesn’t deserve to miss next week’s game”. Howe also labelled the red card as “harsh” as “it was a slippy surface and the ball hit his arm”.
Also confirming that both Karius and Gillespie have “trained very well this season”.
Tyneside may have the money, but they have not gained their luck back yet. A week before a final this is a very Newcastle United thing to happen. Cup-tied Dubravka went on to describe it as “like the script from a movie”, which is not a bad way to describe it. Newcastle will be hoping for a happy ending to this horror.
Both Newcastle and Manchester United are clubs desperate for silverware, and only time will tell if Pope’s decision becomes a deciding factor in the result.