Newcastle United star Anthony Gordon can still play in Carabao Cup final v Liverpool - on one condition
Anthony Gordon - as it stands - will miss Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
Newcastle United will review Anthony Gordon’s red card against Brighton & Hove Albion before deciding whether to lodge an appeal.
Gordon was shown a straight red card in the 83rd minute when he got into an altercation with Albion defender Jan Paul van Hecke. Replays showed Gordon pushed van Hecke in the head after referee Anthony Taylor had already blown for offside.
As it stands, the 24-year-old will serve a three-match ban for violent conduct and miss the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool in two weeks’ time, unless a potential appeal is successful.
Asked about the incident, United boss Eddie Howe said: “I've not seen it. I've only seen it live. I don't know. It's very difficult to form an opinion from what I saw on the pitch. I don't know what Anthony's intention was. I'm sure it wasn't to harm or to possibly get the red card.
“In that moment, I don't know quite what's happened. But I need to review it properly before forming my opinion
“I'd need to see it, I can't sit here and give an honest opinion to that until I've done the work that you've done and looked at it. But knowing the player, I know there's no malice intended there.”
Howe added: “Yeah, I haven't seen an issue with his discipline or his emotions necessarily in the game in that way. I don't see angry outbursts from him. He plays hard. I want him to play hard, I want him to be competitive, but I don't see an issue there.
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“So at this moment, I think it would be very out of context with how he is generally. Maybe a bit of frustration in the game that things weren't going our way. But I'd say that's not a common sight for me when Anthony plays.”
Will Newcastle United appeal Anthony Gordon’s red card?
When asked if Newcastle would appeal the red card, Howe replied: “Yeah, of course. I think if we analyse the incident and feel there's grounds for that, we will do it without hesitation.”
Newcastle and Brighton were drawing 1-1 at the time of the incident, though the visitors’ extra man advantage only lasted eight minutes after Tariq Lamptey was shown a second yellow card.
The game went to extra time with the visitors advancing into the quarter-finals via Danny Welbeck’s 114th minute winner.
Howe said: “Yeah, a lot to unpack. Difficult afternoon for us. Desperately disappointed to go out. I think the players gave everything they could physically to the game. It was a really tough contest for us, especially 10 v 10. Both teams, I thought, gave everything to the match in that respect.
“We're a bit disappointed with the quality of our performance today. I thought, technically, we weren't to the level we needed to be to dominate the game and to win. I thought there were some good bits. I thought the attitude was there. But ultimately, we're very disappointed.”