Anthony Gordon won't be a fan of the Premier League's Newcastle United vs Ipswich Town decision
The Premier League has confirmed the match officials for Newcastle United vs Ipswich Town.
Newcastle United’s Premier League clash against Ipswich Town is an important one for both teams - but for different reasons.
The Magpies head into the match at St James’ Park looking to bounce back from their 4-1 defeat to Aston Villa with a victory that will move them up to third in the league table. With five games of the campaign remaining, Eddie Howe’s side are looking to secure a top-five finish that will bring Champions League football back to Tyneside next season.
By contrast, Ipswich will be relegated after just one season in the top-flight if they fail to win.
Premier League confirm match officials for Newcastle United vs Ipswich Town
Michael Salisbury was on VAR duty for the Magpies’ defeat at Villa Park last weekend but has swapped Stockley Park for St James’ Park as he prepares to take charge of the match. He will be assisted by by Neil Davies and Derek Eaton with Jeremy Simpson as fourth official.
Salisbury last officiated Newcastle’s 1-0 win at West Ham United last month. Bruno Guimaraes scored the only goal of the game in the second-half, though his strike was subject to some controversy after Hammers defender Max Kilman felt he was fouled by Alexander Isak in the build-up.
On VAR duty is James Bell, who will be assisted by Mat Wilkes. Bell’s name may be familiar to Anthony Gordon after he was the official on VAR during United’s 2-1 FA Cup fifth round defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
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Gordon was shown a straight red card by referee Anthony Taylor following an altercation with Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke. The decision was reviewed and backed by Bell on VAR.
That marked the 24-year-old’s last start for the club. A combination of suspension and injury has seen Gordon lose his place on the left wing to Harvey Barnes, who has six goal contributions in seven games.
Eddie Howe previews Newcastle United vs Ipswich Town
Howe believes the race for Champions League qualification will go down to the wire, describing the run-in as a “five-game league”.
The United boss said: “I see it being very, very tight and possibly going right to the end of the season in terms of the competition for the top five places. I think we've put ourselves in a very strong position for what we've done for a consistent period of time now in the Premier League. Our record's been very, very good for a long time.
“But now we sort of go into a five-game league, really, where we're going to have to be consistent again and try and get results in some really tough games. So we're looking forward to the five games ahead of us, starting against Ipswich will not be easy. You look at their recent away form, it's been strong. We can't underestimate them in any way.”