Newcastle United have given their hopes of finishing in the Premier League’s top six a big boost thanks to Saturday’s 4-0 hammering of Tottenham Hotspur.
The Magpies may not be set to reach the heights of last season, but they’ve returned to form over the past few weeks and rubber-stamped it with a heavy win at St James’ Park.
Newcastle got their opener on the half-hour mark, Anthony Gordon playing Alexander Isak in during a counter-attack, and the Swede clinically grabbed his 20th of the season.
Just two minutes later, Gordon got in on the action by pouncing on a miscued clearance and cutting inside Micky van de Ven before hammering past Guglielmo Vicario.
Newcastle’s third came early on in the second half, the product of yet more poor Spurs defending as Isak raced clear from a Bruno Guimaraes ball up top and slotted home.
And for the cherry on top, Magpies defender Fabian Schar weighed in with a late fourth, a thumping header from a Gordon corner.
All in all, a great afternoon for Newcastle, with Gordon standing out alongside Isak as one of the game’s best players.
What has been said about Anthony Gordon in Newcastle win over Spurs?
BBC Sport pundit Pat Nevin liked what he saw from Gordon, telling Radio 5 Live: “It’s a bad day at the office for Spurs, but they didn’t even turn up to the office.
“There was some real brilliance from Anthony Gordon, and the good news for Newcastle is they jump up two places!”
Chronicle Live gave Gordon a 10 out of 10 rating, writing: ‘There are few English players in better form at the minute. Two assists and a goal. And could have been more. Man of the match.’
Gordon – who registered eight key passes against Spurs – has come a long way since joining the Magpies, and he’s now a crucial player for Howe’s charges.
It shouldn’t be long before he adds to his two England caps and gets a pay rise above his current reported salary of £60,000-a-week.
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