Newcastle must be secretly unhappy with Anthony Gordon, what he’s done is unbelievable
Newcastle United have had a disappointing start to the season by their standards.
Eddie Howe‘s only victory so far has come against Wolves with Newcastle’s 2-1 defeat against Barcelona in the Champions League on Thursday (18 September) his second defeat of the campaign.
Although Anthony Gordon managed to pinch a goal back late on, a stunning Barcelona brace from Marcus Rashford sealed the result.
And despite Gordon’s late strike, there will surely be major concerns over his attacking effectiveness amid a worrying domestic drought.
Anthony Gordon has unbelievable Premier League record
Gordon joined Newcastle from Everton in the 2023 January window. He’s been a mainstay in Howe’s side since, but has endured a prolonged bad run of goalscoring form this calendar year.
The 24-year-old’s last Premier League goal came during Newcastle’s 3-0 win over Wolves at the start of the year (15 January).
Worryingly, Gordon has failed to find the net in any of his last 16 league appearances since.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rating |
| 18 Jan | Bournemouth (H) | 1-4 | 6.7 |
| 25 Jan | Southampton (A) | 1-3 | 6.9 |
| 1 Feb | Fulham (H) | 1-2 | 7.1 |
| 15 Feb | Man City (A) | 4-0 | 6.6 |
| 23 Feb | Nott’m Forest (H) | 4-3 | 6.8 |
| 26 Feb | Liverpool (A) | 2-0 | 6.0 |
| 13 Apr | Man United (H) | 4-1 | 6.7 |
| 16 Apr | Crystal Palace (H) | 5-0 | 6.5 |
| 19 Apr | Aston Villa (A) | 4-1 | 6.6 |
| 26 Apr | Ipswich (H) | 3-0 | 6.9 |
| 4 May | Brighton (A) | 1-1 | 6.9 |
| 11 May | Chelsea (H) | 2-0 | 6.7 |
| 18 May | Arsenal (A) | 1-0 | 6.2 |
| 25 May | Everton (H) | 0-1 | 6.9 |
| 16 Aug | Aston Villa (A) | 0-0 | 6.1 |
| 25 Aug | Liverpool (H) | 2-3 | 6.2 |
In fact, the former Everton forward has been so poor, statistically, he’s been expected to score less than three goals in the past nine months.
Despite making 16 league appearances, including 11 starts, Gordon’s xG stat in the Premier League since his goal against Wolves at the start of the year stands at an eye-opening 2.22.
Gordon’s lack of contributions at the business end of the pitch will undoubtedly be a significant concern for Howe and his coaching staff.
Gordon now under pressure to make immediate Newcastle return
Gordon’s straight red card for his tackle on Virgil van Dijk during Newcastle’s 3-2 home defeat to Liverpool last month (25 August) saw him handed a three-game ban.
He missed Newcastle’s last two matches (Wolves and Leeds United) and will remain suspended for their upcoming away fixture against Bournemouth (21 September).
Although Gordon will be available for Newcastle’s Carabao Cup game against Bradford City next week (24, September), he won’t be able to make his Premier League return until the Geordies host Arsenal at the end of the month (28 September).
His abysmal domestic form will certainly mean Howe considers handing Nick Woltemade his second start with Harvey Barnes keeping his place at left-wing and Gordon dropping to the bench.