'I didn't sleep for days, by the time Newcastle next get to a final, I could be long gone' Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope makes 'selfish' cup admission

Newcastle are still in the hat to retain their Carabao Cup title this season having made it through to the quarter-final this week.

Goalkeeper Nick Pope sat out the 2-0 Fourth Round triumph over Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park, rotated out for summer signing Aaron Ramsdale.

The experienced stopper has already written himself into black-and-white folklore with his displays in this competition, though, having lifted the Carabao Cup back in March after defeating Liverpool 2-1.

Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope on Carabao Cup celebrations: 'It didn’t matter how you got to Boxpark, you just had to get there'

Pope was in inspired form during the match at Wembley Stadium, bouncing back from the disappointment of missing out on 2023's final against Manchester United, which the Geordies lost 2-0.

Newcastle's No.1 was suspended for that game having been sent off in the lead up to the fixture for a deliberate handball against Liverpool.

Speaking on Ben Foster's YouTube series 'Fozcast', Pope has opened up on the emotions he felt upon realising he would be suspended for Newcastle's biggest game in a generation and the elation he experienced as the Toon Army finally got their long-awaited taste of silverware.

"I’ve never been sent off before. When it first bounced, it looked like a header, and then it just dropped – but I was committed to the header.

“Allison has kicked it to Salah, we’re quite exposed. I know he’s not going to get there before the bounce, and the bounce has skipped up and just gone away from me a bit," Pope says.

Replays showed Pope racing to beat Mohamed Salah to a loose ball, before landing on his face and momentarily sweeping the ball into his grasp. Referee Anthony Taylor deemed the offence a straight red card, which caused Pope to miss the cup final clash.

“I didn’t sleep for days, if I’m honest. It was a difficult period – this would’ve been a Saturday night game, then you go back into training, and the next game is a final, and you know you’re not playing. The build-up to the final was a massive thing, and I’d never been in a final before – it was a tough period. You’re thinking you’re never going to get another shot – I was 31/32 at the time, and by the time Newcastle next get to a final, I could be long gone, realistically."

Fast forward two years and Pope was lining up for the Magpies at Wembley, this time against Liverpool in the final of the same competition.

Newcastle took the lead through Dan Burn shortly before half-time, then after the break doubled their advantage through Alexander Isak. A late Federico Chiesa consolation led to a nail-biting finale but the north-east club hung on to put an end to 70 years without a major domestic title to their name.

While Liverpool were far from their best in the fixture, Pope pulled off a couple of good saves to ensure Newcastle remained in control of the tie.

“Beating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Final was one of my best moments. Holding the trophy above my head was special. We were a joke that day. As team performances go, we could have had so many more goals. When you have that feeling like the team's on it, especially with 40,000 Geordies behind you, and it feels like life or death.

“From a selfish point of view, I missed the previous final, so for me, that was my time.

“The celebrations were heavy and unbelievably emotionally draining. You get to the end of the night, in the early hours of the morning and you sit back and just think about how amazing that was.

“We got amongst the fans after the game as well. We headed to Boxpark and we were on the top floor, overlooking all the Geordies below us going crazy. It didn’t matter how you got to Boxpark, you just had to get there, and it was by far the best moment in my career.”