Anthony Gordon scored four goals as Newcastle United dominated Qarabag and took control of their Champions League play-off match in the round of 16.
Newcastle’s dominant team delivered on their goal of “turning these moments into history and moments people talk about for a long time” at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium, as head coach Eddie Howe had previously stated.
Although Qarabag had already defeated Benfica, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Copenhagen and drawn 2-2 with Chelsea, the struggling Azerbaijani champions were unable to handle Newcastle’s attack’s speed and intensity in a devastating first leg.
On a night when he passed Alan Shearer to become Newcastle’s top scorer in the Champions League, Gordon in particular caused the hosts a great deal of trouble.
Gordon opened the scoring two minutes later after he pounced on a through pass from a charging center-back named Dan Burn and finished coolly past goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski into the bottom corner.
Newcastle did not let up from that point, and a few minutes later, the towering Malick Thiaw headed home Kieran Trippier’s tease.
On the night he passed Alan Shearer to become Newcastle’s top scorer in the Champions League, Gordon in particular caused the hosts a great deal of trouble.
Gordon, who took advantage of a through pass from raiding center-back Dan Burn and finished coolly beyond goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski into the bottom corner, opened the scoring after only two minutes.
Newcastle didn’t let up after that, and a few minutes later, the tall Malick Thiaw headed home Kieran Trippier’s tease of a cross at the back post.
It’s understandable why startled Qarabag manager Gurban Gurbanov called his players over during a play break to give them some much-needed instructions, but things quickly got worse for the home team.
Harvey Barnes’ shot struck Matheus Silva’s arm as the Qarabag defender tried to block a shot from within the area, giving Newcastle the first of two penalties of the evening.
Referee Espen Eskas was called to his pitchside monitor for a second look after the video assistant referee (VAR) reviewed the footage, and he pointed to the location as instructed.
Gordon’s powerful penalty was too strong for the Qarabag keeper to stop, despite Kochalski’s accurate read and touch to the ball.
Gordon was far from done, though, as he seized on a lapse in defender Kevin Medina’s play and went around Kochalski to make it 4-0. The forward then, astonishingly, scored his third goal from the restart.
Goalie Kocalski took the England international down inside the box just a few minutes before halftime, giving Gordon time to score his fourth goal from the spot.
Kochalski again made a good guess, but Gordon scored another powerful penalty.
To their credit, Qarabag rallied after the break, and defender Elvin Cafarquliyev pulled one back from a close angle, but substitute Jacob Murphy scored a deflected effort from a distance to give Newcastle a five-goal lead again before these teams play each other next week at St. James’ Park.
Newcastle travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City on Saturday, 21 February (20:00 GMT), before welcoming Qarabag to St. James’ Park for the second leg on Tuesday, 24 February (20:00 GMT).
Qarabag plays Neftci on Saturday, 21 February (15:00 GMT), before making the long journey to Tyneside a few days later.
