Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hasn’t dismissed the idea of appealing Anthony Gordon’s red card received in the FA Cup loss to Brighton.
The Magpies had a grim outing on Sunday when they waved goodbye to their aspirations of a second trip to Wembley this season. Compounding their woes, they’ll have to tackle the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool without their ace Gordon after he saw red for lashing out at Jan Paul van Hecke.
Howe fielded a robust lineup on Sunday. His side initially led through a spot-kick, but Yankuba Minteh equalized, paving the way for Danny Welbeck to notch an extratime winner off the bench for Brighton.
Alongside Gordon’s send-off, Newcastle had to pull Alexander Isak as he seemed hampered by injury late in the match. Although Howe kept mum about Isak in his ITV post-match debrief, he did voice his anguish over the loss and the prospective three-game absence of Gordon.
“It’s a tough one for us to take,” Howe said of the defeat. “It was very bitty, a real physical game for us. It had everything with the red cards as well and extra-time. We thought we’d won it at the end. We had a couple of players feeling the effects of the game. Tino (Livramento) ended up not being able to contribute so, in some respects, we were down to nine.
“I thought the other substitutes did really well and gave us a bit more energy, but it was a really tough, physical game for both teams. We could’ve done better, of course we could’ve done.”
(Image: Getty Images)
On Gordon’s red card, Howe added: “It looked harsh, but we’ll have to analyze it properly. I’ve not seen a replay of it; just going on my original view, it looked harsh. We’ll see and then see what we do next. I don’t think Anthony has gone with any intention to do any harm there. I have to see it properly before giving a big opinion on it.”
Welbeck’s decisive goal marked his eighth for the season and second consecutive after securing victory over Bournemouth in the league. Post-match, Welbeck shared with ITV: “It’s a big moment, to get the winning goal. It was a solid team performance and there was a lot going on in that game today. A lot of ups and downs, but we stuck with it, stuck together and I’m so proud of the lads.
“Newcastle are a really intense side and they can always put you under pressure. They have some great players with quality in there and are very dangerous. But we stuck to our guns and put in a great shift. I’m feeling very good. I’m feeling fit and strong. Thanks to my mum and dad, I’ve got good genes, so there’s a lot to come.”
