With Lorius Karius set to make his first appearance for Newcastle in today's Carabao Cup final against Manchester United due to Nick Pope’s suspension, many fear it is an enforced change which could prove fatal to the Magpies’ chances of springing a Wembley shock.
But the reality is that Karius would be far from the first back-up goalkeeper called in from the cold to deliver his side to unlikely glory.
Here, we look at the top six understudy goalkeepers in the modern era who made a name for themselves, whether in keeping unlikely clean sheets in cup finals to penalty shoot-out heroic, when it mattered most.
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Willy Caballero (Manchester City)
Caballero started in goal for City in the 2016 EFL Cup final after playing back-up to Joe Hart for the majority of the season. The final went to penalties after Phillipe Coutinho equalised for Liverpool in the 83rd minute, cancelling out Fernandinho’s 49th minute goal.
But the 34-year-old Argentine emerged as City’s undoubted hero of the day, saving three spot kicks - from Lucas Leiva, Coutinho and Adam Lallana – as City won the shootout 3-1.
Tim Krul (Netherlands)
The former Newcastle keeper was famously subbed on by Holland manager Louis Van Gaal in the 120th minute of the 2014 World Cup quarter-final against Costa Rica simply to take part in the penalty shootout.
Van Gaal’s first-choice keeper Jasper Cillessen had no idea beforehand that the coach planned to replace him with Krul if the match went to penalties, but took the decision – unlike Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga when he refused to leave the pitch for Caballero at the same stage of the 2019 League Cup final – gracefully.
And Krul vindicated his manager, saving Bryan Ruiz’s penalty to give the Dutch the early advantage in the shootout, and then taunting Costa Rica defender Michael Umana ahead of the underdogs’ penultimate penalty and saving it to send the Dutch into the semi-finals.
Claudio Bravo (Manchester City)
Bravo was twice asked to step up from the bench to deputise for City’s No 1 Ederson in League Cup finals. And twice the Chilean international vindicated Pep Guardiola’s decision.
At Wembley in 2018, Bravo kept a clean sheet as City beat Arsenal 3-0 – their biggest-ever cup final victory – and even claimed an assist for Sergio Aguero’s opening goal.
Then in 2020, although he could not prevent Mbwana Samatta from heading Villa back into the game, Bravo produced a vital save in the 88th minute - tipping Bjorn Engels’ header on to the post – to ensure early strikes from Aguero and Rodri proved decisive and clinch City’s third straight League Cup triumph.
Sergio Romero (Manchester United)
Romero played second fiddle to David De Gea for the majority of his Manchester United career but was awarded the starting role in the Europa League final against Ajax in 2017.
Romero had started the previous 10 games for Manchester United in their Europa League campaign, and although his selection for the final was overshadowed by it being Wayne Rooney’s final game for the Red Devils, and coming just days after the Manchester Arena terror attack, the Argentine duly recorded a seventh European clean sheet for the club, as goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan clinched the trophy.
Steve Harper (Newcastle United)
Harper had a near 20-year career at St James’ Park, much of which was spent as a back-up – most notably to Shay Given. But he rarely let Newcastle down whenever stepping in to the first team.
That was never more so than in 2002, when Harper was preferred by Bobby Robson to Given in a must-win Champions League group game against Juventus, who had gone the opening two months of the season unbeaten in domestic and European competition.
The Easington lad made several key saves on his way to keeping a clean sheet against the Italian giants which ensured a rare goal from full-back Andy Griffin proved decisive and set Newcastle en route to winning their last three group games and qualifying for the second group stage of the competition.
“It was never a gamble selecting Harps and his saves in the dying stages were vital in getting us back into the group," said a grateful Robson.
Despite defeat on Tyneside, Juve would go all the way to the Champions League final the following May, before losing to Italian rivals AC Milan at Old Trafford.
Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool)
Kelleher’s selection ahead of the outstanding Alisson for last year’s League Cup final raised plenty of eyebrows. But the result of Jurgen Klopp’s decision should give Karius and Newcastle fans hope ahead of this Sunday’s showpiece.
A game full of chances saw a confident Kelleher keep a clean sheet after 120 minutes to herald the beginning of the real drama, as Chelsea brought on their substitute goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, for the penalty shootout.
Incredibly, Kelleher then had to take a penalty after the 10 outfield players on either side had all converted their spot kicks, and duly sent Kepa the wrong way to make it 11-10, before facing up to the Spaniard’s own attempt from 12 yards.
And Kelleher watched in delight as Kepa – also Chelsea’s villain in their League Cup final shootout defeat in 2019 - skied his penalty to gift Liverpool a victory which raised hopes of them completing an unlikely quadruple clean sheet of major trophies.
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