Howe says Newcastle could appeal 'harsh' Gordon red card
Newcastle United could be without Anthony Gordon for the EFL Cup final against Liverpool, but Eddie Howe thinks such a ban would be harsh.
Eddie Howe is open to the possibility of Newcastle United appealing Anthony Gordon's red card against Brighton, which threatens to rule him out of the EFL Cup final.
Newcastle were dumped out of the FA Cup in the fifth round on Sunday, with Danny Welbeck scoring the decisive goal as Brighton won 2-1 in extra time at St James' Park.
Both teams played the additional half-hour with 10 men, with Tariq Lamptey receiving his second yellow card shortly after Gordon was sent off for a petulant two-handed push at Jan Paul van Hecke's head.
Gordon is now set for a three-match ban for violent conduct, which would see him miss Premier League games against West Ham United and Brentford either side of the clash with Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on March 16.
Despite Gordon's remarkable loss of composure costing the Magpies, Howe sympathised with the winger in his post-match interview.
"It looked harsh, but we will have to analyse it properly," Howe told ITV Sport. "We have not seen a replay of it. I am going on my original view. I thought it looked harsh."
Asked if Newcastle could appeal the sending off, Howe responded: "Possibly. Anthony didn't mean any harm.
"I have only seen him very briefly before coming out to you, and he was very disappointed."
Brighton are now into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the second time in three seasons, after Welbeck came off the bench to provide the heroics.
Welbeck's goal – a delightful dinked finish over Martin Dubravka in the 114th minute – was his eighth in all competitions this season.
It is his best campaign since netting 10 times for Arsenal in 2017-18, and despite the fact he turns 35 later this year, coach Fabian Hurzeler believes he could be in contention for an England recall.
Hurzeler said: "It might be possible, but it is not my decision. The only thing I can say is I am happy to work with him, he is a great leader, a great role model and a great player."
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Welbeck – who also scored the only goal in Brighton's 1-0 Premier League victory on Tyneside in October – said: "It is nice to come here to St James' Park, such a special atmosphere.
"I feel like we played well. We know when we come up against Newcastle that it's going to be an intense game.
"They have some dangerous players with some great ability, and we have to match that, and we did that today and come out on top."