An interesting night for Anthony Gordon in Baku.
The Newcastle United star putting in a stunning performance against Qarabag FK.
The official UEFA man of the match as his four goals in the first half left the hosts stunned.
Anthony Gordon declaring: “I’m very proud, not just of myself but of everyone involved. It’s never easy to come here, so I’m really happy for the whole group.”
Newcastle United dominated from the first whistle.
A brave Eddie Howe team selection and tactical set-up, saw United swarming all over the Qarabag FK defence as Newcastle United committed numbers forward at every opportunity.
Anthony Gordon explaining what he believes was behind the crushing 6-1 victory, having gone in at the break 5-0 up: “The key was our mentality. Qarabag are a very good side, and this is a tough place to play, but our pressing from the very start set the tone. We were competitive and relentless and that pressure created our chances.”
Only the home keeper prevented a potential double figures scoreline by half-time.
Newcastle United with an astonishing 16 shots in the first half with 11 of them on target, Anthony Gordon on another day could have scored six alone by half-time.
However, the bigger picture…Anthony Gordon adding: “As for the Champions League, our focus is simple, take it game by game and try to win the next one. The records are nice of course but football is about the team. Individual moments only matter if the team succeeds and that was the most important thing.”
Anthony Gordon now with only Kylian Mbappe ahead of him in the Champions League goalscoring list this season.
Mbappe with 13, Gordon on 10, then Kane next on eight.