Loris Karius was thrust onto centre stage for Newcastle in their Carabao Cup final defeat, ending a 728-day wait for a competitive appearance.
The German has endured a rollercoaster few years since the fallout of the 2018 Champions League final, spending two seasons on loan before an entire campaign training back at Liverpool.
Karius joined Newcastle in September, but the odds of game time were slim behind Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka.
But a red card to the former against Liverpool and Dubravka being cup-tied paved the way for Karius to be named in Newcastle‘s starting lineup for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Man United.
His place in the XI ended a 728-day for a start, with Karius’ last game prior to Sunday’s final taking place on February 28, 2021, for Union Berlin in a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim.
Two days shy of a two-year wait.
The 29-year-old could not celebrate Newcatle’s first major domestic trophy since 1955, though, with Man United‘s two first-half goals enough to seal a 2-0 win for Erik ten Hag’s side.
Karius will have known the spotlight was honed in on him throughout the final after all he experienced with Liverpool, but those hoping for another headline were left disappointed.
He was left exposed for Casemiro’s opener and was undone by a deflection from Marcus Rashford’s strike, but in total made eight saves at Wembley.
“I think he did really well,” Howe said post-match. “I think his all-around demeanour was good. His distribution was good.
“I thought he made some great saves. Especially when we were chasing the game. He was always going to have to play well in that second half as we were leaving grass behind our backline.
“He can be really proud of his efforts today.”
Let’s hope Karius doesn’t have to wait nearly as long for his next opportunity.
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