Gordon was dismissed in the second half of Newcastle’s FA Cup defeat for pushing Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke in the face as the pair tussled in the Seagulls’ 18-yard box.
Newcastle are still deciding whether to launch an appeal against Anthony Taylor’s decision to issue a straight red card, which is set to keep Gordon out of the Carabao Cup final as things stand, although it is hard to see a challenge succeeding given that the dismissal was rubberstamped by VAR on the day.
It felt like there was a degree of petulance in Gordon’s ill-advised decision to raise his hands to van Hecke, but Howe insists that is not a trait he would ever associate with the England international.
“I haven’t seen an issue with his discipline or emotions in a game in that way,” said the Newcastle boss, whose side head to West Ham next Monday before taking on Liverpool at Wembley six days later. “I don’t see angry outbursts from him.
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“He plays hard, and I want him to play hard and be competitive. I don’t see an issue there. I think it was a moment that was out of context with how he is generally. There was maybe a bit of frustration in the game, that things weren’t going our way, but I’d say that’s not a common sight for me when Anthony plays.”
Newcastle’s defeat means they have lost three of their last four matches in all competitions, and Howe concedes his side have lost form at the worst possible moment given the proximity of the Carabao Cup final and the tightness of the battle for European qualification via the league.
“I think stuttering is probably a good way to put it,” said Howe. “I don’t know whether the cup final has become a negative distraction in our performances. I don’t know. I don’t sense that from around the training ground, but certainly our level of performance has dropped from where it was a few weeks ago.
“Individuals’ levels within that have dropped as well, I think, so we’ve got to try to pick everyone back up and get us back to our best levels for West Ham.”
