Pope rushed out of his penalty area to close down the onrushing Mohamed Salah, who had sprinted clear of the Magpies' defence midway through the first half. As he fell, the keeper instinctively grabbed the ball with two hands and was therefore shown the red card in the 22nd minute with his team already 2-0 down.
Newcastle sacrificed outfield player Elliot Anderson to bring on substitute stopper Martin Dubravka, a name that will be familiar to Reds fans after his loan spell at Old Trafford earlier this season.
Dubravka made four appearances as understudy to David De Gea during the first half of the season, two of which came in our brilliant run to next Sunday's final at Wembley.