Newcastle's Gordon Scores Four in Europe
Anthony Gordon silenced critics with a four-goal performance as Newcastle United crushed Qarabag 6-1 away in Baku in the Champions League. The £69m man's breakout display puts Newcastle in commanding position for the return leg and signals their emergence as a serious continental contender. Lee Ryder noted from Baku that Gordon's performance "wasn't just about goals—it was about leadership, movement, and finally showing why the club invested so heavily."
- While the card cites a podcast title mentioning a "£69m man," Anthony Gordon's transfer fee from Everton in January 2023 was an initial £40 million, with a potential to rise to £45 million in add-ons. - Gordon's four goals all came in the first half, making him only the second player in Champions League history to achieve this feat, after Luiz Adriano for Shakhtar Donetsk in 2014. - The performance made Gordon Newcastle's all-time top scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals, surpassing club legend Alan Shearer's record of seven. - This was the first senior hat-trick of Gordon's career, and he is the first Newcastle player to score four goals in a single European match. - The 6-1 victory equalled Newcastle United's biggest-ever win in a European competition. - Opponent Qarabağ FK has dominated their domestic league, winning it eleven of the last twelve years, and in 2017 became the first club from Azerbaijan to reach the Champions League group stage. - This is Newcastle's fourth-ever Champions League campaign; their last appearance in the group stage was two decades ago in the 2002-03 season. - Gordon is one of only three players to have scored four goals in a Champions League match for an English club, joining Ruud van Nistelrooy and Olivier Giroud.
