Jamie Redknapp has bemoaned the fact Nick Pope will miss the Carabao Cup final, labelling it a "stupid rule", after the Newcastle United goalkeeper was shown a straight red card in their Premier League clash with Liverpool.
Pope was dismissed by Anthony Taylor in the 22nd minute after handling the ball outside of the area in an attempt to deny Mohamed Salah an opportunity to take the ball past him for a possible open goal. The red card now means that he will be suspended for Newcastle's next match - their Carabao Cup final against Manchester United.
Rafa Benitez, who was alongside Redknapp for Sky Sports' coverage of the game, criticised his former side's poor defending that allowed Salah to get in behind their back-four, which ultimately led to Pope's sending off.
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He said: "It has been like that from the beginning, Newcastle pressing high with intensity and leaving the spaces in behind and Liverpool trying to run in behind.
"This is space we were talking about, Alisson and Salah, the communication between both, and Newcastle were not covering, they were just playing one v one at 2-0 down. At the end you always have to cover, you always have to make sure there is an extra player, and especially players with pace like Salah."
With Pope now being absent for Newcastle's trip to the capital, Redknapp went on to highlight what he saw as an unfair rule being implemented on the shot-stopper.
"That’s the rule. Do you know what? Not because the guy’s going to miss the cup final, I always think it’s been a terrible rule," he added. "I don’t like it, he’s not meant to do it, and the lad is now going to miss a cup final.
"You’ve got a player trying to get back on the goalline, that’s a rule that has to change. Unless it’s right outside the box and he does it completely on purpose, I really feel sorry for Newcastle and Nick Pope there."
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