Eddie Howe has dug a hole for himself that he can't now get out of and it may cost Newcastle United big this season

Newcastle United are still in the race for the Champions League, as things stand, are still in the FA Cup and have a date with destiny in just over two weeks when they will step out at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final.

There's still so much to play for this season and while Newcastle's form has been inconsistent to say the least, there was a glorious period this season where the Magpies won nine games in a row.

All of those games were won with Martin Dubravka between the posts as Nick Pope recovered from injury.

So good, in fact, was Martin Dubravka, that Eddie Howe had to beg him to stay at Newcastle with a move to Al-Shabab all but done in January.

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Nick Pope was reinstated to the lineup ahead of Martin Dubravka

Not only did Dubravka stay, he kept his place in the side even after Nick Pope returned to fitness and earned himself a new contract.

Yet, just days after signing his new contract, Eddie Howe reinstated Nick Pope in goal and that assuredness that the Newcastle defenders had that they could pass back to their 'keeper was suddenly gone.

We understand that Pope has a bit of rust to shake off, but his positioning for Nottingham Forest's opening goal at the weekend was unforgiveable, and then last night against Liverpool, he may well have seen Dominik Szoboszlai's strike late, but he probably should have got a glove to it.

Eddie Howe has made a big call but does he have to stick with it?

Understandably, a lot of the talk after the match and today has been about whether it was the right call for Eddie Howe to turn his back on Dubravka for his favoured goalkeeper when most fans now class the Slovakian as the better man for the job.

Now that Eddie has made that call, though, he'd look like a fool if he went back on it, so now he has to hope that Nick Pope can roll back the clock and become that trusted stopper he once was and do so before he walks out at Wembley in just over a fortnight.

Or, Eddie could bite the bullet, admit he got this wrong and reinstate Dubravka. It takes a big man to admit their mistakes. Plus, does he really want to start a war with Mrs Dubravka? She's already fixing for a fight.