NEWCASTLE: Carabao Cup heartbreak for Nick Pope has opened the door for forgotten man Loris Karius as Newcastle United imploded at St. James’ Park in the Premier League against Liverpool.
A moment of madness from Pope saw him handle outside the area and was subsequently red-carded as the 10-man Magpies crashed to only their second topflight defeat of the season.
First-half strikes from Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo saw the Reds into a comfortable lead before Pope was dismissed, meaning he will miss next weekend’s trip to Wembley, where Manchester United sit between Newcastle and their first meaningful silverware for 54 years.
German Karius is now set to make his Magpies debut in next weekend’s showpiece — and it will be his first final since his disastrous show for Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final, which the Reds lost 3-1 to Real Madrid.
“I thought they were clinical with their chances when they came and obviously Nick Pope’s sending off changed the game,” said head coach Eddie Howe.
“I’ve not had a proper word with him but I’ve seen him and he looks visibly upset. He’s been outstanding for us this season.
“It was probably technically handball but I don’t know the rules on red cards outside the box. For me it was a harsh reaction but I understand if it’s in the rules. It’s harsh for Nick because he’s been magnificent for us and to miss the next game is a huge blow for him.
“We’ve got a decision to make. Mark Gillespie has trained very well this season as has Loris.
“Nick is very disappointed, as are we. He doesn’t deserve to miss the game. It is what it is, we will see what our options are.
“There was real quality, we opened Liverpool up at times and created some real chances. That’s the difference, they took their chances and we didn’t take ours.”
Despite the 2-0 final score, it was United who really burst out the blocks at a fired-up St. James’.
And had Miguel Almiron tucked away an early opportunity the complexion of this one could have been so different.
Man of the match Alisson made the first of three top class saves after just three minutes when he got a hand to what looked like a near certain 11th of the season for the Paraguayan.
Allan Saint-Maximin then went close with a volley as a shaky looking Liverpool backline creaked under United pressure.
However, on the break, as they so often do, an incredibly weighted pass over the top from Trent Alexander-Arnold was taken down by Nunez, and the Uruguayan’s finish was emphatic.
The Gallowgate End net was rippling again soon after when Dutchman Gakpo latched on to a beautiful clip over the top by Mo Salah and again finished with aplomb.
Then came the real game-changer, potentially season-defining moment. For Pope it may prove to be the biggest moment of his career.
Chasing to close down an Alisson long ball with Salah clean through, Pope misjudged a bouncing ball and missed a clearing header. Attempting to clean up his error, muscle memory kicked in and Pope handled, inexplicably, leaving referee Anthony Taylor with no choice.
Martin Dubravka replaced Pope on the day, but is cup tied, having played in the competition on loan for Manchester United. So, it’s Karius time for United next weekend.
Despite being down to 10, the Magpies continued to impress and only as they tired did Liverpool ever really look like adding to their two-goal tally.
Alisson tipped a Saint-Maximin strike on to the bar, before it was again rattled by a powerful Dan Burn header.
Fabian Schar should have done better with a header before Brazilian Alisson completed his trio of top saves by denying sub Callum Wilson a consolation.
As fatigue kicked in Nunez forced Dubravka into a world class save of his own before Diogo Jota missed two headers at the death to make the scoreline wider than United would have deserved.
Howe said: “I thought it was actually a good performance in the main. We started really well. We had a good early chance and the crowd were in the game, the tempo was good and we were set for a really good match.
“There was real quality, we opened Liverpool up at times, and created some real chances. That’s the difference, they took their chances and we didn’t take ours.”