Anthony Gordon was clearly frustrated at being substituted in Newcastle United’s game with Brentford on Saturday.
The Magpies were trailing 1-0 just after half-time when Gordon was brought on as part of a double substitution, himself and Callum Wilson coming on for Jacob Murphy and Sean Longstaff.
Newcastle were able to turn the game around, eventually winning 2-1 to maintain third place in the Premier League table. However, Gordon was taken off himself in second-half injury time, making way for Matt Ritchie.
Anthony Gordon unhappy with being subbed off
Fan footage has since emerged showing Gordon, who only joined Newcastle from Everton for £45m in January, visibly upset as he made his way off the pitch, shrugging off an attempted pat on the back from boss Eddie Howe. Coach Graeme Jones and fellow player Joe Willock had to cool Gordon down before the player took his place in the dugout.
What has Eddie Howe said about Anthony Gordon’s reaction?
Howe, in his post-match press conference, insisted there was no problem between the pair, saying: “From my side, there were 30 seconds left, and he was down holding his ankle, so I put an experienced player on the pitch. It is no reflection on his time on the pitch (to take him off).”
Howe later insisted: “I’ve got no problem. Anthony is a passionate boy. He wants to do well, but there were seconds left on the clock, and we wanted to get Matty (Ritchie) on because Anthony was holding his ankle. He just needs to control his emotions in that moment, but there are no problems.”
The flashpoint was picked up by BT Sport pundit Aaron McLean, covering the match on their BT Sport Score programme.
McLean said: “There was a little flash point just at the end there. Gordon had been subbed on at half-time, he then got subbed off for Matt Ritchie right at the end. There was more or less 30 seconds to go, but wasn’t too happy when a few people tried to console him.”
Howe clearly had a word with Gordon after the game, as the midfielder was all smiles in a dressing room photo celebrating the come-from-behind victory.
Gordon, since arriving on Tyneside, has mainly been deployed off the bench. He has found starts hard to come by so far, with Miguel Almiron, Joelinton, and Murphy in good form. He has not started a game since early March, a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City.
The win keeps Newcastle firmly in the top-four hunt ahead of Manchester United on goal difference, and three points ahead of Tottenham, who Newcastle will face in a pivotal battle on the 23rd of April.
