Newcastle United have taken a huge step towards qualification for the Champions League Round of 16, after a 6-1 demolition job of Qarabag FK yesterday evening.
Eddie Howe’s men brushed past the Azerbaijan opponents away from home, with the Magpies boasting a five-goal lead ahead of the return leg at St James’ Park.
The side had 22 shots during the convincing triumph away from home, subsequently placing 14 of them on target – a tally seven times higher than the hosts.
Howe’s side also achieved an xG of 5.56 during the victory, along with 13 big chances created – further demonstrating how much of a deadly display the Magpies produced away from home.
However, after such a showing, there’s no doubt one player’s name will be spoken about more than others, especially after his remarkable personal outing in Baku.
Anthony Gordon’s incredible performance against Qarabag
Attacker Anthony Gordon has been a player who has divided huge opinion among the Newcastle fanbase in recent months, but he certainly managed to silence a few critics with his display last night.
The 24-year-old started in a central striker role, a decision that had a great effect, as seen by his tally of four goals – subsequently netting his first hat-trick for the Magpies.
Two of his efforts from the penalty spot against the Azerbaijan opposition, with the forward scoring the fastest hat-trick of any Englishman in the competition’s history.
Away from his goalscoring tally, Gordon also managed to impress with his underlying stats, including 11 touches in the opposition box – four of which were his goals.
He also completed 100% of the dribbles he attempted, along with two chances created, further highlighting his impressive performance with the ball at his feet.
It certainly was an evening to remember for the Magpies star, with Howe finally seeing the form that the forward has been massively lacking throughout 2025/26 to date.
The Newcastle star who’s now as undroppable as Gordon
Alongside Gordon, numerous players managed to catch the eye during the impressive triumph, including winger Harvey Barnes, who once again started off the left-hand side.
The 28-year-old featured for 87 minutes of the victory, subsequently registering the assist for Jacob Murphy’s late effort, whilst creating the most chances of any player on the pitch.
He also completed 88% of the passes he attempted, whilst registering 12 touches in the opposition box – highlighting the attacking threat he carried throughout.
However, he wasn’t able to get to the levels produced by Sando Tonali in Azerbaijan, with the midfielder once again managing to catch the eye at the heart of the side.
The Italian international has now started back-to-back matches for the Magpies, with Howe evidently having faith in him to produce the goods after his double against Aston Villa.
The manager’s call to keep with the 25-year-old at the base of his midfield was certainly the right call, with his underlying stats demonstrating the quality he produced against Qarabag.
He managed to complete 64 passes during the 6-1 demolition – the most of any player on the pitch – even doing so whilst achieving an accuracy rate of 93%.
The aforementioned figures highlight his dominance with the ball at his feet, with his quality in possession setting the tempo for the Magpies’ latest European win.
Tonali also completed five passes into the final third, along with one chance created – which allowed the likes of Barnes and Gordon to cause havoc within the final third.
However, without the ball, the former AC Milan star was just as impressive, as seen by his tally of 100% tackles won, whilst also making two interceptions in the process.
As a result of his performance, Tonali was handed an 8/10 match rating, with such a showing undoubtedly cementing his place ahead of the return leg.
|
Newcastle player ratings against Qarabag |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Rating |
|
Nick Pope |
5/10 |
|
Kieran Trippier |
7/10 |
|
Malick Thiaw |
8/10 |
|
Dan Burn |
8/10 |
|
Lewis Hall |
8/10 |
|
Sandro Tonali |
8/10 |
|
Joe Willock |
7/10 |
|
Nick Woltemade |
7/10 |
|
Anthony Elanga |
6/10 |
|
Harvey Barnes |
8/10 |
|
Anthony Gordon |
10/10 |
Gordon will no doubt steal the majority of the limelight after his four-goal haul, with such a feat undoubtedly placing him in the Champions League record books.
However, Tonali’s calm and composed nature at the heart of the side made him an unsung hero during the win, with Howe simply being unable to look past him at present.
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