The real Newcastle United stood up against Manchester City. It took until the seventh match of their season but finally, they resembled an Eddie Howe side.
No player embodied that more than Anthony Gordon, who was back to his waspish, rapid, threatening best, despite being used out of position at centre-forward.
The challenge for Gordon and Newcastle is to replicate that standard weekly. This has to be the benchmark, rather than a temporary raising of standards.
“We’ve been nowhere near what we can be,” Gordon admitted on TNT Sports after the 1-1 draw. “That’s our level now, the standard in terms of effort, no matter who we play.”
It is no coincidence the 23-year-old raised the team’s endeavour. Howe delivered some home truths to his squad, Gordon prime among them, following the pitiful defeat at Fulham. At Craven Cottage, Gordon’s body language was as lamentable as his performance, which was typified by the winger passing the ball away on the edge of his own area and simply standing and watching.
Back at St James’ Park, somewhere Howe believes the player feels “protected and loved”, Gordon’s demeanour was transformed, as were his commitment and technical levels.
Reassured by the promise of an improved contract, which player and head coach confirmed is “close” to being signed, and feted by a personalised Wor Flags display, Gordon felt the familiar comforts Tyneside brought for him last season.
He won the penalty — and he scored the penalty.
Anthony Gordon equalises for Newcastle United against Manchester City. #NEWMCI | #NUFC
🎥 @footballontntpic.twitter.com/tNQUrsvNS9
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) September 28, 2024
If his head was turned briefly by Liverpool, his boyhood club, during the summer, then Gordon has (belatedly) refocused and begun replicating his England form for Newcastle.
“Anthony probably needed a bit of love from the crowd,” Howe said. “It’s difficult for me to give love to the players all the time. Sometimes you have to give them the opposite to get the right response.”
The implication was that Howe had been candid with Gordon. Rather than dangling a carrot, he had picked up a stick — and, much to Howe’s relief, it had the desired effect.
Manchester City were always expected to dominate possession (they had 62 per cent), allowing Newcastle to counter-attack, which suits Gordon’s profile as a centre-forward. Taking belief from a 10-match unbeaten streak at home (now 11), Gordon and Newcastle’s other key players — Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Kieran Trippier — simply had no excuse but to compensate for their unconvincing start by unsettling Manchester City through sheer athleticism and physicality.
From the off, Newcastle pressed in a manner reminiscent of their 2022-23 peak. Such ferocity had been alarmingly absent from their often lethargic displays this season, but Gordon led the restoration of Howe’s blueprint.
That is despite the undoubted blow that Alexander Isak was unavailable due to a broken toe. Given that Callum Wilson is still sidelined with a hamstring problem and William Osula is not yet deemed ready to start, Gordon was what Howe described as Newcastle’s “third striker”.
While he has shown he can undertake the role, having won the 2023 European Under-21 Championship as England’s focal point, Newcastle’s record with Gordon through the middle last season was drawn two, lost one, won none.
In a perverse sense, however, Manchester City’s high defensive line was almost ideally set up for Gordon stylistically.
By harrying the visitors’ back line and sprinting at Ederson, forcing mistakes, it was Gordon who cajoled Newcastle back into life.
“The way I play as a striker, you’ll see a lot of pressing because I’m not an out-and-out No 9,” Gordon said on TNT Sports. “It’s hard at times, but it’s what I’ve got to do.”
Howe spent the match barking at Gordon, Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes to stay high and try to cut off Manchester City at source.
The risky man-to-man ploy paid off.
Newcastle forced final-third turnovers five times — their highest number this season, and four more than at Fulham — while the 25 touches Howe’s side enjoyed in the opposition box was their second-highest (after 32 against Bournemouth). Whenever Newcastle won the ball high, their midfielders looked to release runners into the gaps vacated by Manchester City’s marauding full-backs, which upset the visitors’ rhythm.
Newcastle 1-1 Manchester City FT
For the second week running, City drop points from a winning position. Newcastle, meanwhile, more than deserved a point from a feisty affair at St James’ Park #NEWMCI pic.twitter.com/MjLY1X0DF7
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) September 28, 2024
“We were brave against a very difficult team to press high against,” Howe said. “Gordon epitomised that spirit and that determination to be aggressive with big, long-distance runs.”
Josko Gvardiol’s first-half strike put City ahead but Gordon won the penalty that he converted, having beaten the offside trap when Guimaraes played him into the box. Ederson did catch Gordon, but the forward also cleverly bought the reward, using a technique that has seen him win a league-high seven spot kicks since August 2023.
He produced the match-saving moment and worried Manchester City’s back line but there are still limitations to playing Gordon as a striker. His only shot was the penalty, while, of his 34 touches, only three were in the box. Murphy, Gordon and Trippier directed dangerous balls into the penalty area during the second half — and they were crying out for someone with a traditional centre-forward’s instinct.
Newcastle’s expected goals (xG) — which measures the quality of their chances — was 1.56, almost double Manchester City’s (0.87), although that figure is greatly inflated by the penalty (as can be seen from the big red dot in the stats graphic above).
Newcastle need Isak and Wilson fit, while they, like Gordon, also must prove this was not a one-off.
After Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie with AFC Wimbledon, Newcastle travel to Everton, aiming to shake their reputation for being flaky on the road.
Gordon encapsulates Newcastle’s divergent home and away form. Since the start of last season, of his 13 goals and 10 assists in the league, 74 per cent (10 goals, seven assists) have come at St James’ Park. He needs to make a difference on his travels, too.
Encouragingly, however, this display hints at a brighter future.
When Gordon kissed the badge in celebration, he signalled his belief he can achieve his dreams at Newcastle. Even after a summer of uncertainty, this was a reminder of the club Gordon joined and the upward trajectory on which it remains.
(Top photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
