Category News

Anthony Gordon was expressed in three plain words by Jose Mourinho.

“You’re too much”.

As Newcastle United’s forward embraced him on Tuesday at St James’ Park at full-time, the Benfica manager said that.

In a 3-0 victory over his team in the Champions League, Mourinho had just watched Gordon open the scoring and set up Harvey Barnes’ second goal.

The first Newcastle player to score in three successive games on the night was Gordon.

The man of the match looked at home at Europe’s top table on the night.

According to Gordon, “It brings the best out of me.” “I feel alive the moment I play the biggest games. This level of play is what I enjoy. I wanted to play there when I was younger, so I’m living the dream.

That performance must be taken into Saturday’s home game against Fulham for Gordon and Newcastle.

For Newcastle, Gordon has performed in big-games so frequently.

The England forward scored against Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Manchester United in a single Premier League campaign, becoming only the second player to do so alongside Leicester City legend Jamie Vardy.

Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Arsenal were the only other goals he scored for Newcastle in all competitions last year, scoring five of the nine goals.

Perhaps his relished life in the Champions League should not come as a surprise.

In that competition, Gordon ranks joint first for total goals and assists (five), third for goals (four), and has the most big chances (six), and tied for fourth for wins (eight), among all players.

His shot conversion rate (50%) and xG (2.73) were higher in the Champions League than in the Premier League this season from a small sample size, which includes two penalties against Union Saint-Gilloise.

On the other hand, according to Opta, Gordon has five more chances in the top flight, he has dribbled more times, he has nine more fouls, he has taken more shots (13), and he has had more touches in the opposition box (18).

Despite appearing in two more Premier League games, he has yet to find the back of the net or make an assist.

The England international jokes that domestically playing with the Champions League ball would be beneficial.

One or two of his team-mates might be equally impacted.

Newcastle may have scored eight goals in Europe this year, but only the bottom three Premier League sides have allowed less than seven goals in eight games.

What’s the purpose of this? Many find it perplexing.

Following a halt in his career, Gordon is certain to be desperate to find the solution.

After receiving a mindless red card against Brighton, Gordon was sent off for the Carabao Cup final last year, which saw Newcastle finally come to an end to a 70-year drought to capture a significant domestic prize at Wembley.

Gordon could only watch as Harvey Barnes, a left-winger, flourished before returning to the Newcastle starting lineup for the final few games of the campaign, before suffering a thigh injury while on international duty.

In contrast to former team-mate Alexander Isak, who was attempting to force through a move to Liverpool, Gordon took to the field in the pre-season eager to make his mark, especially in a World Cup year.

However, Gordon’s unwavering desire to excel showed up in his performance against Liverpool in August when he was sent off for a late tackle on Virgil van Dijk, which resulted in his receiving a three-game Premier League suspension.

Yet it is simple to forget that this player is only 24 years old.

With his abrasive and creative play when at his best, Gordon has already established himself as an unwavering favorite of England manager Thomas Tuchel.

Delivering week in and week out is now the challenge.

Eddie Howe, the manager of Newcastle, said, “I believe there is more to come from him.” On Tuesday, he appeared to be in a really good mood. He ran straight and was energetic.

Due to an elbow injury, Hannah Hampton will miss England’s friendly against Brazil on Saturday, making one of the other goalkeepers’ debuts.

The 24-year-old saved two penalties in England’s final shootout victory over Spain, making it one of the stars of the Euro 2025 victory.

In Hampton’s absence, one of the backup goalkeepers, Khiara Keating or Anna Moorhouse, is expected to play at Etihad Stadium, but manager Sarina Wiegman won’t say who.

Lotte Wubben-Moy, a defensive defender for Arsenal, and Jess Park, a player for Manchester United, will both miss Saturday’s game due to illness.

“It’s not nice to have a injury, but it’s not a serious injury. The other goalkeepers also have a chance, Wiegman said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

We were going to try these friendly games anyway, and they’re good for that. Because there is only one position, it’s always harder to get goalkeepers.

Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse are two very different goalkeepers. A young, extremely talented player, Khiara.

Khiara plays out from the back and is very explosive on the line. Anna is extremely skilled at defending crosses. They are the differences because they play at her club a little differently and are more direct.

In a series of homecoming games to end the year, The Lionesses will celebrate their European successes by hosting four friendlies in succession.

England defender Alex Greenwood praised the other goalkeepers’ influence during Euro 2025, saying, “They have been very patient. They did a fantastic job of supporting both Hannah and the team over the summer.

In Leah Williamson’s absence, the Arsenal defender hasn’t played since having knee surgery, so Wiegman confirmed that Chelsea midfielder Keira Walsh will be the team captain for the game at Etihad Stadium (17:30 BST).

Walsh, 28, has a lifelong support base at Manchester City and spent eight years there before moving to Barcelona in 2022, breaking the previous record.

It’s a role that Keira genuinely deserves. She is incredibly influential, according to Greenwood, who probably doesn’t give herself enough credit in the leadership position.

Keira and I are a little older than each other, but she has a significant impact on this team both on and off the field.

She says, “Her experience and demands of high quality, day in, day out,”

Greenwood, who is the captain of Manchester City and has never played for England, will also have a “really special” night.

It’s similar to returning home, she said in a way. It will be a memory I’ll cherish for a long time. It’s been a while since we last played in Manchester (at Old Trafford), so it’s nice that I get to play on my side this time.

England’s preparation for the 2027 Women’s World Cup begins with a new cycle against Brazil.

In addition to the squad, Chelsea’s Lucia Kendall, an uncapped AFL player, Taylor Hinds, an Arsenal defender, and Grace Fisk, a Liverpool captain, are also in the squad.

With Wiegman’s former right-hand man Arjan Veurink joining the Netherlands as head coach and Janneke Bijl and Arvid Smit joining the Lionesses as assistant coaches, there have also been changes in the coaching staff.

“We won’t be starting fresh, so I think it’s important to see it as a new cycle.” “We’ll pick up where we left off,” Greenwood remarked.

“It’s important that we don’t put what we’ve done to bed and build on that, rather than take it away,” said the player and staff group.

Mohamed Salah’s form is the last thing Liverpool manager Arne Slot needs to think about, according to slot.

As Liverpool slipped into the Premier League title race, Salah was the team’s top scorer last season, scoring 29 goals and adding 18 assists.

The 33-year-old has only managed three league goals this season as Liverpool struggled to maintain their title-winning form after spending about £415 million on attacking talent in the summer.

After falling to Manchester United at Anfield four times in a row on Sunday night, Slot started Salah on the bench for their 5-1 Champions League victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.

When asked about Salah’s form at a news conference on Friday, Slot responded, “The main thing is that he always has scored goals for Liverpool.”

“Moto scoring goals once more is the last thing I worry about.” He has done that his entire life, and I anticipate that in the upcoming weeks and months.

Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, and Florian Wirtz were all incorporated into Slot’s revamped system in Frankfurt, but the Swede’s groin injury, which occurred in the first half, could cause Salah to be reinstated to the starting lineup at Brentford on Saturday.

The Egypt winger has lost seven Premier League games in a row without scoring a goal that is not a penalty since joining Liverpool in 2017.

Players generally miss chances in football, and he is a human being, said he. He’s not used to missing chances, Slot said.

The Liverpool manager claimed that Salah’s comparatively slow start to the season may be a result of the summer arrivals and the departure of right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid.

Although he has played his entire Liverpool career [up until this season] with him, “it could be a factor,” Slot said.

Salah had seven goals and the same number of assists at this point last year. He only has three of both this season.

Erling Haaland, the winner of the Premier League Golden Boot last season, is already eight goals behind.

Cody Gakpo and Ekitike have both contributed more points this year, but Salah has already led the way in assists (three).

However, there are some positive aspects. Salah has 19 chances this season for Liverpool, down from his previous total of 21 after 12 games. He has thus far produced more open-play crosses than he did last season.

But why has his goal total dropped so dramatically this year?

This is a continuation of his poor form, which was evident towards the end of last season when he only managed three goals in Liverpool’s final 11 games.

Additionally, there are abundant signs that Liverpool are struggling to get him as much ball, with his average touches per game significantly lower than it has been throughout his Anfield career.

He is only allowing 1.6 dribbles per game, less than half of the average of the previous campaign, and he is only averaging just 6.2 touches in the opposition box this year.

Salah’s struggles are reflected in his struggles, whether it is due to his closer proximity to full-backs, his challenges adapting to the new signings, or simply his time catching up with him. His average of just 0.3% dribbles per game.

Liverpool’s new signings and playstyle may also be a factor. One exit also might exist.

The Egyptian forward’s departure from Real Madrid and Salah and Alexander-Arnold’s successful partnership down Liverpool’s right have likely had an impact on the pair.

Last season, Alexander-Arnold completed 147 line-breaking passes for Salah in the Premier League, or 39 more than any other team combined.

In the 33 league games that featured, according to data analyst Opta, Salah scored 27 goals on 33.8 shots per game, had a 0.48 non-penalty xG, and had 10.5 touches in the opposition’s box.

Salah has only scored four goals, two of which were penalties, in the 12 games Alexander-Arnold didn’t play across last season and this. He averages 2.3 shots per game, has a 0.3 non-penalty xG, and has 7.2 touches in the opposition’s box.

Is Salah already too late to be rejected? It is, of course,.

When he only scored one non-penalty goal in his final nine Premier League games between 2023 and 2024, some were suggesting that his age was catching up with him before he resurrected a season to remember last term.