Anthony Gordon is set to miss the League Cup final after being sent off for a "moment of madness" in Newcastle's FA Cup tie with Brighton. With the game locked at 1-1 in the closing stages at St James' Park, the forward was chasing a loose ball alongside Jan Paul van Hecke before appearing to lose his cool.

Gordon clearly raised his hand and shoved the defender to the ground. Following the incident, a brawl broke out between both sets of players, with referee Anthony Taylor left with little option but to show the forward a red card.

On ITV commentary, Ally McCoist blasted Gordon for his actions, saying: "He gets aggressive with his right hand and it's a push.

"It probably looks more aggressive than it actually is but it's definitely a push into the side of his face, which is absolutely ridiculous. It's a stupid thing to do. Crazy. It's just a moment of madness isn't it?"

The dismissal didn't just mean Newcastle being forced to play the remainder with 10 men. Unless his club successfully appeals the red card, Gordon is now almost certain to face a three-game ban.

That means he would miss next Monday's game at West Ham, the Wembley final with Liverpool on March 16, and the visit of Brentford next month following the international break. And McCoist argued that could prove a seismic blow to the club's hopes of winning a first major trophy since 1955.

"It's a disaster," he said. "Not just personally for Anthony Gordon but for the team. I mentioned already, if they are to beat Liverpool the one thing they have to be at full strength and have all their players available."

Just seconds later, Eddie Howe was dealt another potential hammer blow. Top scorer Alexander Isak, who in the first-half put Newcastle ahead with a penalty before Yankuba Minteh's equaliser, limped off to be replaced by Callum Wilson.

The late drama wasn't done there. In injury time, Tariq Lamptey was sent off for Brighton after picking up a second yellow card, before Fabian Schar thought he'd scored a 98th-minute winner for the hosts before his goal was overturned by VAR.

Newcastle's last appearance in the League Cup final came in 2023, when they were beaten 2-0 by Manchester United. In that clash, they crucially had goalkeeper Nick Pope suspended after he picked up a straight red card in the Premier League game with Liverpool a week beforehand.