Anthony Gordon hails ‘incredible’ thing Newcastle United star did v West Ham

Harvey Barnes was Newcastle United’s saviour against West Ham as his late brace secured a dramatic comeback win. Having found themselves 3-1 down with 77 minutes played, the Magpies staged a revival befitting this time of year first through Alexander Isak and then Barnes.

Barnes’ third and fourth goals of the season lifted the roof off St James’ Park and shot Newcastle firmly into the hunt for European qualification. Post-match, Anthony Gordon, who grabbed the assist for the winning goal, spoke about Barnes’ impact on the game and how glad he is to see his teammate back fit and scoring goals.

Gordon told the Gazette: “I’m so pleased for him because it has been such a hard year for him. He’s been in and out with injuries and he’s struggled to be on the pitch consistently but to come on and impact the game in the way he did was incredible. 

“That’s exactly what we need off the bench, it’s what made us good last year, our performances off the bench. I’m delighted for him.”

Gordon’s red card in the dying stages of Saturday’s win means he won’t be able to feature against Everton on Tuesday night, giving Barnes an opportunity to start a Premier League game for just the fourth time this season. But what will happen when both Gordon and Barnes are fit and available for selection together?

Unlike his teammate, Gordon has seen lots of action this campaign and has been forced into playing game after game as injury and fitness issues have hampered the squad. As much as Barnes is a direct competitor for a starting spot, Gordon believes that his return to fitness is a very welcome boost with nine games of the season to go and may even give him the chance to rest after a full throttle campaign.

Gordon said: “There have been games where I have been extremely tired this year and maybe if we had him, he could have come on and scored or changed the game or vice versa. Competition is never a bad thing, it always pushes you to do better.

“We can also play together like today I got the assist for his goal. He’s someone I really enjoy playing with and I’m glad he’s back.”