FA make official Newcastle United decision after 'horrible' Chelsea incident

Jarred Gillett has been appointed as match referee for Newcastle United's FA Cup fourth round clash away to Fulham on Saturday evening (kick-off 7pm).

The Australian referee has officiated a fixture involving Newcastle just once this campaign, and it did provide some controversy when Chelsea's Moises Caicedo avoided an early red card for a nasty challenge on Anthony Gordon.

Gillett cautioned the £115million-rated midfielder but with no VAR in place, he was unable to take a second look. United boss Eddie Howe revealed his fury at the challenge, which eventually forced Gordon to withdraw.

"Anthony was sore, it was a horrible challenge on him I thought having reviewed it," said Howe. "Really disappointed with the tackle. He’s sore but we’ll see how he is today, hopefully, he’ll improve quickly."

The Blues went on to beat Newcastle 4-2 on penalties to advance into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup. Callum Wilson opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge but a last-minute Kieran Trippier error gifted Mykhailo Mudryk an equaliser.

Having exited both the Carabao Cup and Champions League in December, as well as slipping to 10th in the Premier League, the FA Cup represents Newcastle's only realistic chance of ending their long trophy drought this season.

Gillett will be assisted by Darren Cann and Mark Scholes whilst Tony Harrington will be on VAR duty. VAR is in operation during FA Cup games that take part in stadiums that have been equipped with the technology.