Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has gently pleaded with the Football Association to allow Nick Pope to play in the Carabao Cup final despite his red card against Liverpool.
The Magpies shot-stopper rushed out of his goal to intercept Alisson's punt up field which set Mohamed Salah through on goal. Pope went to ground and handled the ball leaving referee Anthony Taylor no option but to brandish a straight red card.
As a result, he will now miss the next three Newcastle matches including next week's Carabao Cup showpiece against Manchester United. With Martin Dubravka having already played in the competition during his temporary stint with the Red Devils, it now leaves former Reds goalkeeper Loris Karius or Mark Gillespie to stand in.
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Lineker has argued that the 30-year-old should be allowed to play at Wembley - and pleaded that his suspension didn't apply to the League Cup.
"It wasn't Joelinton on nine yellows, if he got another yellow he would've missed two games but not the Carabao Cup final," he disputed. "As an anomaly, why is that? Come on, let him play in the cup final, he's been brilliant this season."
Magpies legend Alan Shearer was enjoying the pleas from the presenter and joked: "Keep on going, Lineker!"
"I mean it," Lineker reiterated. "[Martin] Dubravka is their reserve goalkeeper, the irony he's played for Manchester United in the Carabao Cup this season so he'll get a winners medal if Manchester United win, he can't play.
"So it comes down to Loris Karius, who hasn't played for two years...[Mark Gillespie] who has never played in the Premier League."
The defeat for Eddie Howe's side continues a disappointing run in the Premier League after their barnstorming start to the campaign. They have raced into the top four but their recent patch has them now on the verge of a blip.
Shearer, who is the all-time goalscorer since the Premier League's inception, admitted that the rush of blood from the goalkeeper is a "blow" for both Pope and the Magpies' chances and feels the task is "tougher" as a result of his dismissal.
"It's a big blow for Newcastle, huge blow for Nick Pope and Newcastle because he's been superb this season.," he said. "I do feel for him because it's the only error he's made. It'll be tough [against Manchester United] without him, he's been superb but they'll still go there full of hope."
But the former Everton and Barcelona player wasn't giving up on his attempts to let the England international off the hook, as Lineker said: "Let him play, let him play, go on, it'll be nice," to which Shearer laughed: "They won't listen to you."
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