Anthony Gordon blew it - but nobody will feel smaller at Newcastle United right now
Anthony Gordon cost Newcastle United big time against Brighton - nobody will know that more than the player himself.
Nobody of a Newcastle United persuasion will be feeling lower than Anthony Gordon right now. The England international has, after all, never shirked from placing immeasurable pressure on his shoulders.
It is hard to argue that any other Newcastle player has publicly outlined his ambitions more than the Toon winger. He told NUFC TV last year: “I'm not scared to share my opinions and I stand on what I believe in so (if) people don't like it or people like it, that's up to them.
“Everyone has opinions. But I'm not afraid to share mine. People talk about ego as a bad thing, but it's not. None of us get to this level without having an ego.
“My confidence has never wavered, no matter the mistakes I've made or if people told me I couldn't. It never really bothered me. I always had blind confidence in myself that I would get to where I want to get to, and no-one can knock me off that perch.”
He spoke in December about how his “main priority” is to deliver silverware at St James’ Park. Unfortunately for Gordon, one moment of stupidity has robbed him of that chance.
The 24-year-old - despite play just seconds away from being halted for offside - lashed out at Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke. Confusion emanated around Tyneside as to what had happened. From the vantage of the press box, the dismissal looked harsh… initially.
Would Gordon’s lunge have floored a man on the street? Definitely not - but the game is the game. Gordon knows the rules, perhaps better than anyone given his ability to draw fouls and exploit uncertainty from officials.
He left referee Anthony Taylor no option but to brandish the red card. Suggestions of a potential appeal seem futile. At that imprudent moment, the game going on against Brighton became secondary.
Everyone inside St James’ Park immediately feared the ramifications of Gordon’s lunacy on Newcastle’s hopes at Wembley. That “blind confidence” has made him a Toon favourite. He is one of those players who supporters love - but opposition fans detest.
Ironically, Gordon was aiming to conquer his boyhood club to end Newcastle’s 70-year wait without domestic silverware. A unique experience awaits the England international - who admitted earlier this year how all his family are Liverpool fans.
Even if Newcastle put the Reds to the sword on March 16, that Carabao Cup medal will taste bittersweet for Gordon. A player who talked the talk will watch from the sidelines, unable to walk the walk as an already unfancied United outfit face the best team in England.
Gordon faces a lonely fortnight as he serves his ban, with replays of his idiocy likely etched in his mind. There is sympathy towards him on a human level but he only has himself to blame.
In the meantime, Newcastle supporters pose the question as to whether the 135-year-old institution they invest so much time into is cursed. Unexpected, self-inflicted problems is certainly the black-and-white way.