Newcastle United eye Carabao Cup final loophole after Anthony Gordon ban and Liverpool fume

Newcastle United's plans for the the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool have been rocked over the last week. Anthony Gordon's red card against Brighton in the FA Cup was followed by injuries to Lewis Hall and Sven Botman which decimated the left-hand side of Eddie Howe's teamsheet.

Gordon's straight red card against Brighton means he misses three games, starting tonight against West Ham. He will miss the Wembley showpiece against his boyhood club - a hammer blow to both the player and the club.

With Hall also out after an ankle operation ruled him absent for the rest of the season, and Botman also going under the knife, Newcastle plans down the left have been thrown into turmoil. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that one of Liverpool's main strengths comes down that side with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold two potent weapons in attack.

Howe must decide how to counter that, but also has one eye on the league with tonight's Premier League clash at West Ham. The discussion over whether he should rest players or not ahead of the cup final has been a hot topic, with the United manager insisting he can't afford to.

One player who will be crucial at Wembley, given Hall and Gordon's absence, is Joelinton. The big Brazilian has only just returned to the fray after a knee injury kept him out for six weeks, and he played an hour against Brighton.

The 28-year-old looks certain to start at the London Stadium tonight as he bids to build up his match fitness, but there have been concerns over his suspension status. His tough-tackling characteristics do see him commit a number of fouls - and as a result he also regularly receives bookings. As such, he has picked up nine yellow cards in the league this season, which means one more and he will be suspended for two games.

The good news for Newcastle, however, is that should he be booked tonight the two-game ban will only affect top flight fixtures - so he'll be safe to take part in the Carabao Cup final. Only a red card would carry over to the Carabao Cup, so supporters will be crossing their fingers Joelinton is on his best of behaviour and avoids being given his marching orders against West Ham.

It is the same as with Gordon - his straight red card in the FA Cup affected all domestic competitions, meaning he misses the Carabao Cup final. Joelinton is likely to be handed a role either on the left side of attack or midfield in Gordon's absence, with Howe looking to add extra protection in front of whoever plays left back - likely to be Tino Livramento or Matt Targett - given Salah's stupendous ability.

The fact that Joelinton will be free for Wembley even if he is booked is a bonus for Howe. Talking to the media this week, Howe explained: "Yeah, unfortunately for Joey, he's a very competitive player. He's always on the line, I'd say, in terms of that side, but you need players like that in your squad.

"We'd be desperately disappointed after losing him to injury, to lose him for two games, but hopefully he can control himself like the last time he was on the precipice of a ban. I think he went a number of games without getting booked, so fingers crossed he can do the same."

The suspension issue was raised again at the weekend as Liverpool's Darwin Nunez appeared lucky to avoid a straight red card after a wild kick out at Southampton's Kyle Walker-Peters in the first half. Nunez was only shown a yellow card - which left many Newcastle fans watching fuming with the decision.

Other pundits voiced their opinion that the forward should be have sent for an early bath which would have ruled him out of the cup final. Chris Sutton told BBC 5 Live: “It was such a reckless, daft challenge. Liverpool lucky to have 11 on the pitch.”