Outstanding Newcastle United star tops these Premier League stats

The Mag

·16 April 2024

Outstanding Newcastle United star tops these Premier League stats

Anthony Gordon has week after week played so well from the left hand side of a front three.

Occasionally he has been asked to play through the middle this season when neither Alexander Isak nor Callum Wilson were on the pitch. Doing a great job there as well.

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On Saturday though, a rare match for Anthony Gordon where Eddie Howe asked him to play on the right side of a front three against Tottenham.

Would this blunt his effectiveness?

With assists for the first and fourth goals as well as scoring the second himself, fair to say that Anthony Gordon was anything but blunted.

Indeed, fair to say that possibly he has never played better for Newcastle United.

An Eddie Howe masterstroke signing the then 21 year old for £40m (plus £5m potential future add-ons), in an era where you have average midfielders who don’t score or create goals, going for £100m+.

Interesting as well to see just how well Anthony Gordon did at the weekend when digging a little deeper.

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Quite incredible impact from Anthony Gordon in this demolition job on Tottenham.

He also showed yet another massive weapon in his arsenal with superb set-pieces. Fabian Schar scoring from one of Gordon’s corners.

Also on Tuesday morning I noticed an excellent write up on Anthony Gordon from one of the Whoscored writers, here are a few interesting highlights / insights from that:

‘Newcastle United’s decision to part with £45m to secure the services of Anthony Gordon was met with ridicule back in January 2023.

Yet now, 15 months into his Newcastle career, that particular transfer is looking more and more like a bargain. Gordon netted his 10th goal of the season in the Premier League in the emphatic win over Spurs last weekend.

It was a performance that earned him a perfect WhoScored 10 rating after the Liverpool-born winger directly involved himself in three of the four goals scored by the hosts as Eddie Howe’s men climbed to sixth in the table.’

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‘Four wins from their last six in the English top-flight have catapulted them up the table and there’s a chance they claim a Europa Conference League place.

During this run, Gordon had added two goals and three assists to his haul for the season. The 23-year-old now has 18 goal involvements in 30 appearances. Alexander Isak (17) is the only Newcastle player to have more goals while only Kieran Trippier (10) has more assists this term. Only Cole Palmer (17) has directly contributed to more home goals than Gordon (15) this season.’

Big game player

‘He isn’t just scoring goals or chipping in with assists. He’s doing it in the big games. He’s scored against Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool this season. He’s also assisted in games against the likes of Aston Villa, Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham and Tottenham.

He’s been involved in 26% of the goals scored by the Magpies this term. Not bad for a player dubbed as immature and erratic.’

‘The former Everton man has showcased his versatility and footballing IQ this season. He’s played a variety of roles and done a number of jobs for Newcastle. The No.10 gave a little insight into his intelligence as a player following the win over Spurs on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking afterwards, he revealed a tactical tweak implemented by Howe and executed by players.

“We knew we couldn’t play our normal way against this team because they are so good with the ball so we tactically changed a little bit and went man for man.

“I think our game plan the manager put us with was outstanding and helped us throughout the game. I think especially at St James’ with the crowd, if you can score back-to-back quite close together it can feel like the stadium can suffocate you and trust me, I have been here as an away player and it definitely feels like that.”

England

‘The England international could force his way into Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euros. If the former Boro boss picks his squad on form rather than reputation, Gordon probably deserves a place. But the final third is a fiercely competitive area of the pitch for the Three Lions. The likes of Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka all have more goal involvements than Gordon but there’s no reason the Newcastle man shouldn’t be ahead of, say, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford in the pecking order.

He would give England a directness and an aggressiveness that they might otherwise lack. He could be a difference-maker and a game-changer for Southgate and his side, just as he has been for Newcastle this season.’

Stats via BBC Sport:

Newcastle 4 Tottenham 0 – Saturday 13 April 12.30pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Isak 30, 51, Gordon 32, Schar 87

Tottenham:

(Half-time stats in brackets)

Possession was Tottenham 73% (66%) Newcastle 27% (34%)

Total shots were Tottenham 11 (5) Newcastle 18 (10)

Shots on target were Tottenham 2 (1) Newcastle 5 (2)

Corners were Tottenham 3 (1) Newcastle 16 (10)

Referee: Tim Robinson

Newcastle team v Tottenham:

Dubravka, J Murphy (Livramento 78), Krafth, Schar (Dummett 90+3), Burn, Longstaff, Bruno (White 90+3), Anderson (Ritchie 89), Gordon, Barnes (Hall 88), Isak

Unused subs:

Karius, Gillespie, A Murphy, Parkinson

(Match Report – Tottenham Hotspur, it’s happening again – Read HERE)

(BBC Sport comments from ‘neutrals’ – Very interesting on Newcastle after 4-0 Spurs hammering – Read HERE)

(Ange Postecoglou deserves credit – Very honest after Newcastle United outclass Tottenham – Read HERE)

(Newcastle 4 Tottenham 0 – Instant Newcastle United fan / writer reaction – Read HERE)

(Can we play you every week(***) – Newcastle 4 Tottenham 0 – Read HERE)

Wednesday 24 April 2024 – Crystal Palace v Newcastle (8pm)

Saturday 27 April 2024 – Newcastle v Sheff Utd (3pm)

Saturday 4 May 2024 – Burnley v Newcastle (3pm)

Saturday 11 May 2024 – Newcastle v Brighton (3pm)

Wednesday 15 May 2024 – Man U v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports