Eddie Howe says whether Newcastle United will appeal Anthony Gordon red card ahead of Liverpool final

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe admitted he did not realise during Sunday’s clash with Brighton and Hove Albion that Anthony Gordon’s red card in the FA Cup would rule him out of the Carabao Cup final with Liverpool.

Gordon was sent off by referee Anthony Taylor for pushing Seagulls defender Jan Paul van Hecke in the face as the pair battled for a ball over the top. The dismissal was deemed violent conduct and carries an automatic three-game ban - subject to a possible appeal.

Told it would rule the player out of the final against the Reds, Howe responded: “To be honest, I wasn’t aware initially. My focus was so absorbed on the game and trying to win. If that is the case, then I’m desperately disappointed for him and for the team.”

Will Newcastle appeal the decision?

Gordon has already scored against Liverpool this season after netting in the 3-3 draw between the clubs back in December. He featured at Anfield as Liverpool won 2-0 in midweek and was likely to be in the starting line-up at Wembley later this month.

Asked if he and the club would look at the potential to appeal the decision, Howe said: “Of course. If we analyse the incident and feel there’s grounds for that, we will do without hesitation.”

The Newcastle manager continued of the incident: “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.

“He plays hard – I want him to play hard, I want him to be competitive, but I don’t see an issue there 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.”

Verdict - Gordon likely to miss final

Gordon was criticised for his ‘petulance’ by former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson after the incident. While the ex-Everton man did not look to seriously harm his opponent, the deliberate action of the pushing motion is likely to see any possible appeal go against him and Newcastle. The fact the contact came against the opponents face is also unlikely to help Newcastle’s potential case.

The most recent example of a red card being overturned was for Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly after he was sent off against Wolves. That was largely deemed the incorrect decision with an independent panel overturning the decision.

Newcastle were without Lewis Hall against Brighton and could also be sweating on the fitness of Alexander Isak for the ginal. The striker missed the midweek game with Liverpool and was withdrawn against Brighton to avoid worsening a potential injury.

Howe added: "[Alexander] Isak had some tightness in his body, but not an injury. The longer it went on, the greater the risk so he was taken off before any problems.”