At times good moments can be overshadowed by bad moments, and that’s what happened on Saturday after the Magpies dominated the Bees on the road in a 2-1 victory.
After being substituted into the contest in the second half, midfielder Anthony Gordon was removed towards the tail end and he was not a fan of the change made by manager Eddie Howe.
Newcastle United brought in Gordon this January during the transfer window for a lofty sum of £45m deal from Everton. The move to St James’ Park came after he made a transfer request to the club.
Gordon, who made his Premier League debut for Everton way back in January of 2020, became the first transfer in January for Howe as he looked to bolster the team’s attacking options as the season dwindles to a close.
Since joining the club, however, Gordon has had very little involvement in the team’s offense.
Through seven games with the team, his in-game time sits at just 37 minutes per contest. While he is a youngster trying to find his footing, Howe can not afford to allow much wiggle room for his squad as they look to keep top pacing in the Premier League.
The team currently sits in third place, just nine points back from second place.
Throughout those minutes played, Gordon hasn’t contributed much to the stat sheet, taking just four shots on the season with nothing to show for it.
To add insult to injury, he may have now found himself in the dog house after Saturday’s game against Brentford.
He was substituted by Howe during the game, and the 22-year-old rising star was seen shoving his manager off as he walked towards the bench.
After the contest, Howe did not seem to be fazed by the outburst.
“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 on because Anthony was holding his ankle,” he said in his closing remarks. “He just needs to control his emotions in that moment, but there are no problems.”
While Gordon’s decision may not be a smart one and could affect some of his time going forward, the team must move forward as they look to grow his five-game win streak.
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