Matchweek Moments: No Hope for Pope
By Ian Katan
Liverpool and Newcastle clashed at St. James Park on Saturday in a game that saw Liverpool re-establish themselves as contenders for a top four finish. For different reasons, the two teams are in unexpected positions in the table, and if one is to enjoy success in May, it will almost certainly mean the other came up short.
When these sides last met in August in a heated match, they were only separated by a 90+8th minute winner from Reds youngster Fabio Carvalho. With this week’s win, Liverpool remains the only team to beat Newcastle this season, let alone twice.
Only 10 minutes into the game, Trent Alexander-Arnold found space in midfield to drive a ball over Newcastle’s defense that Darwin Nunez brought down and smashed past Nick Pope. Seven minutes later, Mohammed Salah produced a beautiful clipped pass for January signing Cody Gakpo to latch onto and slip under Pope again. Within just 20 minutes, the Reds were flying.
The result was sealed after Allison collected a free kick in the 22nd minute. His cannon of a pass released Salah, who looked guaranteed to score if not for Pope sprinting out of his box. The goalkeeper tried to head the ball clear but missed, and either instinctively or to intentionally prevent Salah from scoring on an empty net, pulled the ball to his chest while being yards outside his box. Pope’s fate was clear, nearly taking off his gloves before referee Anthony Taylor could even show the red card. Even two goals down and their main goalkeeper sent off, Newcastle were still able to find a number of half chances, but the final scoreboard read 2-0 to Liverpool.
The send-off was labeled “harsh” by Newcastle manager Eddie Howe in a post match interview. However, preventing an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, let alone by intentionally handling, is absolutely a red card and likely one of the easier calls of the season. While Howe’s criticism is that it wasn’t a goal-scoring opportunity, that’s hard to believe.
Salah would’ve collected the ball not far outside the box and had only a single defender to beat, if they were even able to catch him. Pope clearly pulling the ball away from Salah’s feet left no room to argue the decision.
While Pope’s red card was deserved, it is admittedly harsh that he misses next week’s Carabao Cup Final against Manchester United. Infamous former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius will likely be in net for the Magpies, and you have to feel for Pope, whose mistake causes him to watch the Final from the stands. Newcastle are on the verge of their first major trophy since 1955, and it does seem excessive that a red card in the Premier League suspends him from such a vital Carabao Cup game.
Though Howe will deny it, small worries must be creeping into Newcastle minds. They have just two wins since the World Cup break, and slipped to fifth place after Spurs won the next day. Howe has proven this team’s stability and their high position is certainly justified, but they must now dig in and find their impressive early season form to keep their European hopes alive.
Liverpool’s expectations for the season have shot back to the sky as important players are rediscovering form after inexplicable recent drop-offs. Gakpo is settling into the team, and his two goals in two games is only a taste of the heights he’s capable of. Darwin Nunez finally broke his 98-day scoring drought, and Salah’s gorgeous assist on Gakpo’s goal is reminiscent of his linkup play with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino from past seasons.
In midfield, Fabinho is regaining his composure after a unsteady stretch, and 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic is earning himself worldwide recognition for stepping into an underperforming squad and sparkling.
Even better, multiple Reds are returning from injury. Diogo Jota is getting substitute minutes after a four-month calf injury, Virgil Van Dijk missed four games but is back in defense, and seeing Luis Diaz back in training is giving Liverpool fans butterflies thinking about what the rest of their season could look like. They are seven points off fourth place with games in hand on each team above them, and have every reason to be optimistic about their finish in May.
I don’t want to say prematurely Liverpool are “Back on Track” like my column from October, but they are gathering momentum for a huge push to the top four. Even if they fall short, Liverpool are gaining invaluable experience to fight again next season, and that’s all that their fans can ask for. If they do succeed, Newcastle will be one of the teams looking back on missed opportunities like this game. While Pope’s red card and the dropped points will frustrate Newcastle’s Toon Army, they are still in a strong position. Their dominant defense and fearless mentality to create chances even when playing a man down has earned them success so far, and will continue to be the backbone of their fight to play in Europe next season.