Nick Pope certainly won't forget this weekend in a hurry. Fresh from unwittingly becoming a social media sensation on Friday, after Newcastle United supporters hijacked a poll by Burger King on Twitter, the goalkeeper's phone blew up once again a day later after he helped his side earn a point in a 0-0 draw at Brighton.
Those remarkable second-half saves to keep out Adam Lallana and Solly March hinted at why Newcastle signed Pope from Burnley in the first place. Yes, Newcastle already had a proven Premier League number one in Martin Dubravka, but it is not an exaggeration to say that without Pope, the visitors would have lost on Saturday. That is unlikely to be the last time that statement is uttered this season.
Given some of the prices Newcastle have been quoted this summer, the £10m the Magpies spent on Pope already looks like a bargain. Newcastle certainly needed the England international at the Amex on an afternoon where Eddie Howe's side were 'very pleased' to escape with a point.
