If Newcastle are to dethrone Liverpool as Carabao Cup holders when they meet in the final later this month, they’ll have to do so without Anthony Gordon as things stand.
The winger was sent off for shoving Jan Paul van Hecke in the face during the Magpies’ FA Cup defeat to Brighton on Sunday, duly triggering a three-match domestic suspension which’ll see him miss the Wembley showpiece in 12 days’ time.
Ironically, he could easily have been playing in that fixture for the Reds, having reportedly been on the verge of a return to Merseyside last summer.
Newcastle are expected to appeal the red card in an attempt to free up Gordon to face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup decider, and a former Sky Sports presenter believes they have a viable chance of getting the ban overturned.
Keys objects to Gordon suspension for Carabao Cup final
In his latest blog, Richard Keys argued that the 24-year-old shouldn’t be banned for the Carabao Cup final, insisting that a suspension should only be served in the competition in which it was incurred.
The beIN SPORTS presenter wrote: ‘I know why Anthony Taylor sent Gordon off at Newcastle. Gordon was daft and probably deserved to go, but it’s mad to think right now he’ll serve the same ban as [Liam] Roberts [Millwall goalkeeper who hospitalised Jean-Philippe Mateta on Saturday].
‘I hope Newcastle appeal it. I’d say they’d have a 50-50 chance of winning. I’d like to see them win it. Gordon should be allowed to play in the Carabao Cup Final. I’ve argued for years when it comes to a final we want to see the best players on the pitch. It’s a showpiece so why not?
‘If we restricted punishments to the competitions bookings or red cards were picked up in – that would happen more often. If you’re sent off in a league game your ban should apply to league fixtures. The same with the FA Cup. It’s simply wrong that Gordon will miss a cup final because he got sent off in a league game [sic].’
A valid point by Keys, but a harsh lesson learned for Gordon
Does Keys raise a pertinent point about suspensions being restricted wholly to the competition in which they’re triggered?
If Liverpool were to have a player harshly sent off in our Premier League game against Southampton on Saturday and duly banned for the Carabao Cup final, we’d feel the same dismay that Newcastle fans are currently experiencing over Gordon missing out on the Wembley showpiece.
We can empathise with the Magpies in this instance – although there’s no excusing what the 24-year-old did to Van Hecke, it doesn’t feel right that he’ll now miss out on the chance to help his club to silverware in a separate competition.
That said, the winger would’ve known that a straight red card on Sunday would cost him his day out at Wembley, and it wasn’t as if it came from an instance of ‘taking one for the team’ with a professional foul – Eddie Howe must privately be furious with the player over his brief yet fateful loss of temper at the weekend.
Whether or not Gordon is cleared to play in the Carabao Cup final, should Newcastle appeal his ban, Liverpool can expect a stern challenge from the Tynesiders in that fixture but – just as at Anfield last week – will hopefully have the sufficient quality to emerge victorious.
