Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has called on the governing bodies to delay Nick Pope’s cup-final suspension. A foolish handball outside of the area left Anthony Taylor with no option but to dismiss the goalkeeper in Newcastle United’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Pope has been one of the Magpies’ star performers since his £10million arrival from Burnley last summer. The England international’s performances have resulted in Newcastle conceding just 15 top-flight goals this season - the fewest in the division.
However, Toon supporters gasped as soon as the incident happened as a red card appeared inevitable. At that point, the immediate fixture was the last thing on fans’ minds with the Carabao Cup final up next.
