The 27-year-old fell foul of the FA after a challenge on Shane Long during Saturday's 3-2 win against Southampton.

As a result, the Spaniard will miss the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton on Sunday and Premier League matches with Burnley and Swansea.

Alonso had denied the charge but an independent commission hearing on Wednesday rejected his stance.

Referee Mike Dean did not see the incident, with the FA taking retrospective action.

Speaking after the game, Saints boss Mark Hughes said: "It was a poor challenge - it should have been a red card in my view.

"The disappointment was the officials didn't see it. They were all within a 10 to 15-metre radius - one of them should have seen it."