Newcastle United told ‘cheeky’ Nick Pope red card ‘loophole’ ahead of Manchester United final

Newcastle United fans believe they have found a loophole that could see Nick Pope feature at Wembley.
By Mark Carruthers
Published 20th Feb 2023, 14:03 BST
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Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope is set to watch the Carabao Cup Final clash with Manchester United from the sidelines as he serves a suspension for the red card he received in Saturday’s home defeat against Liverpool

Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah (L) fights for the ball with Newcastle United's English goalkeeper Nick Pope (R) during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on February 18, 2023. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah (L) fights for the ball with Newcastle United's English goalkeeper Nick Pope (R) during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on February 18, 2023. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah (L) fights for the ball with Newcastle United's English goalkeeper Nick Pope (R) during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on February 18, 2023. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

The Magpies were already two goals down by the time the England stopper was shown a straight red card midway through the first-half after denying Mo Salah a goalscoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball outside of his penalty area.

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The decision means Pope will miss Newcastle’s first major cup final appearance since 1999 as he serves a one-match suspension - although some keen-eyed Magpies supporters believe they have found a loophole in the rules that could yet see the 30-year-old feature at Wembley.

The popular Toon Polls Twitter account have cheekily suggested enlisting the help of local non-league club Blyth Spartans by sending Pope on an emergency loan to the National League North side. Graham Fenton’s men are set to face league rivals Bradford Park Avenue on Monday night and that would mean Pope serving his suspension in the game before he could be recalled in time to feature at Wembley next weekend.

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Magpies supporters have backed the idea since it was initially floated on Sunday morning - although some have also suggested opting against tempting fate and allowing stand-in goalkeeper Loris Karius is take part in what some have called the biggest redemption story yet.

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The former Liverpool stopper helped the Reds reach the Champions League Final in 2018 but suffered a concussion in the Kyiv showpiece against Real Madrid before making two mistakes that put the Spanish giants on their way to a 3-1 win.

That proved to be Karius’ last competitive appearance for an English club and he will hope to fare better when he makes his Magpies debut at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.

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Related topics:Manchester UnitedNick Pope

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