Shay Given could not hide his disappointment with Nick Pope during Newcastle United’s defeat to West Ham.
The 33-year-old conceded three goals at the London Stadium, as Newcastle United lost 3-1 against West Ham.
Nick Pope has been excellent this season, but he was one of multiple Toon players who let themselves down versus the Hammers. He was poor for two of West Ham’s goals, although there was nothing he could do to prevent Sven Botman putting through his own net.
The West Ham equaliser was particularly poor from Pope’s perspective, as he was beaten at his near post by Lucas Paqueta. Not only was he beaten easily, the chance came from another mistake by the goalkeeper.
Nick Pope playing for Newcastle United against West Ham in the Premier League.
Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images
Shay Given left ‘disappointed’ with Nick Pope
That is the view of Shay Given, who was on punditry duty for Sky Sports Main Event on Sunday.
As a former goalkeeper himself, Given was asked to give his thoughts on Nick Pope’s role in West Ham’s equaliser.
“I feel like Homer Simpson going back into the hedge,” he said.
“I was a wee bit disappointed that he didn’t catch the first cross. It looped up. Because of his size and he’s so good at claiming things, I think he can catch that. There is no real challenge on him.
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“It’s a relatively good punch. Paqueta shooting from there, Nick Pope will look back and think he should save that. It moved and dipped a bit to be fair. He will still be disappointed as a goalkeeper.”
Given’s assessment is fair. Pope should have done better with Paqueta’s shot, but the chance would have been avoided altogether had he dealt with the initial cross more effectively.
Rather than catch it, Pope decided to punch. It was a decision he consistently made during the first half, and it was eventually punished.
Nick Pope error comes at the worst time for Newcastle United’s number one
Up until the West Ham defeat, Pope had been one of Newcastle United’s most consistent performers this season. However, that consistency was MIA at the London Stadium.
Pope’s disappointing performance comes at a time when he is under more pressure than ever to retain his place in the starting XI. Just days before this defeat, Aaron Ramsdale played spectacularly against Tottenham Hotspur.
While Aaron Ramsdale was never going to retain his place in the side, his performance was a real reminder of his qualities. In fact, it resulted in a lot of fans calling for the summer signing to be given more chances.
Those calls will only grow louder after Pope’s mistakes against West Ham.