"Anthony Gordon had already scored a hat-trick. But the ruthless Newcastle United forward only had one thought in his mind at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium. Gordon had just won his side a penalty against Qarabag in the first leg of their last 16 Champions League play-off tie, and he was not about to hand the ball over after Kieran Trippier felt Nick Woltemade should get a chance to take the spot-kick."
"It brought back one or two memories of the single-mindedness of Newcastle's greatest ever goalscorer, Alan Shearer. In fact, after already netting four goals against Sheffield Wednesday, in 1999, Shearer told striker Paul Robinson where to go after his team-mate asked him if he could take a spot-kick. So it was rather fitting that this was a night where Gordon overtook the Newcastle legend as the club's all-time top scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals."
"Qarabag, in truth, played right into Gordon's hands. This side had previously drawn against Chelsea and defeated Benfica, Eintracht Frankfurt and Copenhagen. But the sight of the rapid Gordon playing further forward than Woltemade appeared to catch Qarabag a little cold. By the time they finally readjusted, and dropped deeper in the second half, the damage had been done, as Match of the Day pundit Thomas Hitzlsperger noted."
Anthony Gordon scored four goals and converted a penalty in Newcastle United's 6-1 victory over Qarabag, becoming the club's top scorer in the Champions League with ten goals. The forward insisted on taking the spot-kick and aimed to maximize his goal tally. The match evoked memories of Alan Shearer's single-mindedness, with a past anecdote of Shearer refusing to yield a penalty. Qarabag initially defended high, allowing space for Gordon's pace and movement, and only adjusted later when the damage had already been inflicted, according to pundit Thomas Hitzlsperger.
Read at www.bbc.com
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