There’s just something about Newcastle United and red cards ahead of a Carabao Cup final.
Just over two years on from the Nick Pope dismissal that ruled him out of the 2023 edition, Newcastle United lost another key player ahead of the Carabao Cup final later this month.
Indeed, Anthony Gordon was sent off as Newcastle lost 2-1 to Brighton in the FA Cup on Sunday after the forward shoved defender Jan Paul van Hecke in the face following a slight tussle off the ball.
Harsh though it may have been, Gordon gave referee Anthony Taylor a decision to make and that was stupid. To have acted so petulantly with a trip to Wembley so close is hugely disappointing.
In fact, this won’t actually be the first Carabao Cup final the forward has missed for Newcastle – albeit the previous one was for very different reasons.
What Anthony Gordon said when he missed Newcastle United’s last Carabao Cup final
Gordon arrived from Everton in January 2023 and was at St James’ Park when the team booked their spot in that year’s final by beating Southampton.
The forward, however, was unable to play having already featured for the Toffees in an earlier stage of the competition, meaning he was cup-tied.
As relayed by journalist Andy Kerr on social media platform X, Gordon described having to watch from the stands as Newcastle lost to Manchester United as one of the hardest moments in his career to date.
It’s not hard to imagine having do it this time around will be much worse for him, given the manner of his suspension.
Anthony Gordon’s record in games vs ‘Big Six’ will be missed
Harvey Barnes looks the most likely to replace Gordon at this stage.
Joelinton is another option too but none of them quite match Gordon. The England international may not be in great form right now but his record in the big games cannot be questioned.
| Games | Goals | Assists |
| 9 | 4 | 2 |
This season alone, Gordon has recorded goals and assists against all of Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal Tottenham and Manchester United.
That kind of big game mentality will be sorely missed at Wembley.
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