Much has been made about the Magpies’ goalkeeper situation but Nick Pope made a timely reminder of what he can do in front of Eddie Howe
Let’s face it, it had been a rocky summer for Newcastle United’s goalkeeping department until the second half in Singapore.
Amid stifling conditions, Nick Pope, still reeling from a clanger against Celtic, did not get down quick enough to prevent Mikel Merino firing home an equaliser to haul Newcastle back into the game.
Moments later, it appeared that youngster Alex Murphy thought Pope was coming for Kai Havertz’s fizzing cross before belting it past his own keeper.
And at that point you wondered what next for the Newcastle goalie brigade after missing out on Man City-bound James Trafford.
But Pope would step things up after the break making a sensational save to deny Bukayo Saka from an overhead kick and then stopping talented Arsenal youngster Max Dowman.
They were two saves that Pope needed and it felt like defensively some confidence was being restored for the Magpies.
A late cameo from veteran John Ruddy also resulted in the ex-Everton man getting in on the act to deny Dowman but he was unable to keep out Martin Odegaard from the spot.
Let’s not forget how good Pope was towards the end of last season when he made a string of saves to deny Chelsea in a crucial 2-0 win at St James’ Park.
Pope will soon be joined by Martin Dubravka who flies out to South Korea for the second leg of the Far East tour.
At one stage this summer the keeper situation seemed to be absolutely crucial but the Alexander Isak saga seems to have overtaken events. Newcastle can’t afford to lose Isak and not replace him – it’s that simple.
Pope and Dubravka may well start the season battling for the gloves, but as for Odysseas Vlachodimos? If he doesn’t get minutes in either of the two games in Seoul you start to wonder why he was signed in the first place.
Deja vu for Mikel Arteta
Don’t forget this was a rerun of the Carabao Cup semi-finals from last season when Newcastle edged the two-legged winter series to claim a sought after place in the Wembley showpiece.
Back then, Arteta shocked fans by claiming that Arsenal had only lost the first leg 2-0 because of the Carabao Cup balls!
Even in defeat, Newcastle supporters present in Singapore could not resist another round of: “Mikel Arteta it must be the ball!”
Also, somewhat amusingly, as Newcastle displayed the Carabao Cup before the game, many Arsenal fans decided to get their pictures with it. It still hasn’t sunk in that Newcastle have won a trophy more recently than the Gunners.
Senior stars show class after 3-2 loss
It would have been easy to shrug off the defeat at the National Stadium and head straight for a cool shower for the Newcastle players.
But led by Kieran Trippier, they made their way over to the travelling masses from around the world and shared a moment with them.
Bruno Guimaraes was one of the players to throw his shirt in the crowd while Trippier was on hand to sign plenty of merchandise. Connecting with the fans is what this trip is all about really.
Here at ChronicleLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Newcastle United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest NUFC news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.