NEWCASTLE, England (Reuters) -Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon looks set to miss the League Cup final against Liverpool after being shown a red card for violent conduct against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
The hosts were beaten 2-1 in extra time in the FA Cup fifth round and their misery was complete with Gordon dismissed for shoving Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke in the face.
A dismissal for violent conduct is likely to lead to a three-game ban which would rule England international Gordon out of the Wembley showpiece on March 16.
Manager Eddie Howe said Newcastle are likely to appeal the red card decision.
“There’s a lot to unpack but it’s desperately disappointing to go out. The red card looked harsh, but we will have to analyse it properly. I have not seen a replay of it so I am going on my original view — I thought it looked harsh.
“If we analyse the incident and there are grounds for appeal, we will do that without hesitation. Knowing the player as I do, I know there was no malice intended.
“Anthony didn’t mean any harm. I have only seen him briefly (since the game ended) and he was very disappointed.”
Losing Gordon would be a huge blow for Newcastle in the final as they seek to win their first major trophy since 1955. The 24-year-old has scored nine goals in all competitions this season with six assists.
“If he is missing from the final, that will be a big blow to us — but when someone suffers misfortune in football, it’s someone else’s opportunity and that’s what we have a squad for,” Howe said.
Newcastle will also be concerned that top scorer Alexander Isak and fullback Kieran Trippier both failed to last the game because of injury worries.
Isak returned after missing the midweek Premier League defeat by Liverpool but was substituted near the end of normal time while Trippier went off with a back issue.
“We hope they don’t turn into big problems for us because that would be really tough for us,” Howe said. “We don’t have the strength in depth we need.”
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Toby Davis)
