Nick Pope's importance to Newcastle United's incredible run in 2022-23 has been underlined in the goalkeeper's recent stretch which has seen him keep 10 clean sheets in a row.
The Magpies number 22 has been a key part to the revolution Eddie Howe has been overseeing in the north east and, thanks to him and the defenders ahead of him, they have become a really tough side to score against, let alone beat.
He recorded his latest clean sheet in his side’s narrow 1-0 victory over Southampton in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at St Mary’s on Tuesday evening. He had to pull off two impressive stops to keep out Che Adams to maintain his stunning streak, taking his team one step closer to the final at Wembley.
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Opta later revealed that Pope has become the first Premier League goalkeeper to keep 10 straight clean sheets in all competitions since at least 2012, and after his outstanding heroics which kept out Adams to give Newcastle a one-goal advantage heading into the second leg at St James’ Park next week, he has been lauded for his performances.
His Magpies teammate Bruno Guimaraes told Sky Sports after the match: “I think he’s the best goalkeeper right now in the world.”
The same sentiments were shared by Saints boss Nathan Jones, who said: “He is categorically the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. He might not be the most fashionable in terms of what he can do with his feet but, for me, he's the best actual goalkeeper in the league."
Bruno Guimaraes thanks his goalkeeper Nick Pope during the post-match interview ❤️
The fact that it's been more than a decade since such a run of clean sheets highlights how difficult it is to get such a streak going, and Pope should rightly be praised for his performances. There is no question he is the best shot-stopper in the Premier League right now, leading the way for most clean sheets (12), and when he is called into action, he's a decent bet to bail his side out of trouble.
He hasn’t conceded a goal in the league since early November and in recent weeks he has been the key to Newcastle getting results, with goals from the likes of Miguel Almiron beginning to dry up meaning they haven’t been thrashing teams like they were doing fairly regularly earlier in the campaign.
Since domestic football returned after the World Cup in Qatar, Newcastle have only won just one game by a three-goal margin - against struggling Leicester City on Boxing Day - whereas they had won four matches by a minimum three-goal margin before the international tournament began in November.
Of course the clean sheet streak is the key talking point but the shot-stopper has been at the top of his game all season. Pope has recorded 16 shutouts in 24 matches for the Magpies and while most people have been fixating on only the dazzling midfield performances of Guimaraes, Joelinton and the renaissance of Almiron, the consistent top-draw displays of Pope have not been given as much credit they have deserved - but he is getting it now and rightly so.
The 30-year-old brings a calmness and assertiveness in between the sticks at St James' Park and the fans are delighted to have him. Should they keep up the pace in the race for the top four come May, Pope's heroics in recent weeks could prove to be the difference as Newcastle look to qualify for the Champions League.
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