Zach Merrett's gut punch was among a series of incidents that nearly cost Essendon dearly on the way to a nailbiting AFL win over Carlton.
The match review panel will fine or even suspend the star Bombers midfielder in the wake of Saturday's 11.18 (84) to 11.10 (76) win at the MCG.
Depending on other results this weekend, the win could see Essendon back in the top eight.
But it was an unconvincing performance, with the Bombers squandering a strong start.
Second-last Carlton were able to rally and play the game on their terms, before Essendon rescued the match.
"The game's how we want it and it looked like we just thought maybe, it's going to stay that way," said coach John Worsfold.
"We game them a sniff - the game was on their terms, we weren't kicking well for goal and then we were really undisciplined, two or three times, which we nearly ultimately paid the price for."
As the momentum shifted in the second term, Merrett was the No.1 offender with a crude gut punch on Lachie Plowman.
Worsfold was asked if the incident surprised him, particularly given the AFL's crackdown over the last few weeks on gut punches.
"You never get surprised in this game ... you just wonder why it happens, what they're thinking," he said.
"I'm sure Zach's disappointed with his action, especially because again we sit here wondering if it's going to affect the team."
Essendon fell two goals behind in the last quarter before livewire forward Anthony McDonald-Tupungwuti combined with captain Dyson Heppell and key forward Cale Hooker to lead the rescue.
McDonald-Tupungwuti kicked two of the last three goals of the match.
After spraying two shots earlier in the quarter, Hooker finally kicked accurately to put them back in front.
"To do what we had to do to win like that, in the end, was credit to the players," Worsfold said.
Apart from Merrett's possible suspension, Essendon also lost small forward Orazio Fantasia with a hamstring injury in the first quarter.
He will be sidelined for at least two to three weeks.
Former captain Jobe Watson also struggled, only managing 11 possessions and missing an easy goal in the second term .
Watson's miss came during a run of 11 behinds for the Bombers, as the Blues kicked six goals to wrest control of the game.
"But he wasn't the only one who was off - we had I think four players whose output was below what we expect from them," Worsfold said.
Next weekend, Essendon come up against top side Adelaide after three weeks of unconvincing form.
While the Blues lost no friends - key defender Liam Jones again was outstanding - coach Brendon Bolton lamented another tight loss.
"It's the sixth or seventh time we've been in really tight situations ... in last quarters and haven't been able to complete it," he said.
"That's frustrating, it hurts, but those moments will be great learning for our young group."
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