In what may well be his finest hour for the club, forward Anthony Gordon hit four first-half goals as Newcastle United all but secured their place in the Champions League round of 16 after dominating Qarabag FK.
After a near-3000-mile trip, the visitors got off to a dream start in Baku, with Gordon latching onto a Dan Burn pass before slotting past goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski into the bottom corner after just two minutes.
Just a few minutes later, it was two, as centre-back Malick Thiaw powered home a header from a Kieran Trippier cross.
After a contentious VAR check, Newcastle were awarded a penalty after Harvey Barnes’ goalbound shot struck the arm of a sliding Matheus Silva, the Qarabag player having every right to feel hard done by as it appeared his arm was in a natural position.
Despite the controversy, Gordon finished with a powerful shot to the keeper’s right to make it 3-0 after 32 minutes.
Just a minute later, it was four, with Gordon reacting to miscommunication between the Qarabag defenders before rounding Kochalski to wrap up his hat-trick.
Gordon completed his own personal haul just before halftime, slotting home another penalty in first half stoppage time.
There was a tense disagreement between Gordon and Newcastle skipper Kieran Trippier as to who would take the penalty, with Trippier appearing to suggest that Nick Woltemade should be given the opportunity, considering Gordon had already grabbed a first-half hat-trick.
But Gordon dismissed Trippier’s suggestion and dispatched neatly from the spot, joining the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Simone Inzaghi in bagging four goals in a single Champions League game.
After the interval, the hosts showed the kind of resolve that had given Newcastle some cause for concern going into the game, with defender Elvin Cafarquliyev pulling one back with a smart finish from a tight angle on 54 minutes.
But the game, and the tie, were put beyond any lingering doubt in the 72nd minute, with Newcastle substitute Jacob Murphy scoring with a deflected effort from range.
Speaking to TNT Sports, manager Eddie Howe said the game was “A tribute to the team today. We were really good in the first half. That’s as good as we have played in a long time.”
“He was really good in that first half. He started the press; a number of his goals came from his attitude off the ball. He could have had more, but a very good display.” Howe said of four-goal hero Gordon.
