Gordon hits back at 'complete nonsense' from Rooney and Shearer

By the final whistle at Stamford Bridge, Anthony Gordon had done his talking on the pitch, firing Newcastle United to a statement 1-0 victory over Chelsea that breathed fresh life into their European ambitions. Yet even as team-mates swarmed the winger in celebration, Gordon was still eager to address the storm that had brewed off it.

Speaking to Match of the Day after the match, the 25-year-old dismissed suggestions he had ducked Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 first-leg against Barcelona. “Saying I didn’t want to play in the biggest game of my career is absolute nonsense,” he said. “Complete nonsense.”

The row began when Gordon, bed-bound for three days with illness, was left out of the starting XI at the Spotify Camp Nou, only to appear as a second-half substitute. Roy Keane questioned how a player could be deemed unfit to start yet ready to feature later, while Alan Shearer claimed it would take “something extraordinary” to keep him out of such a fixture. Wayne Rooney, working pitch-side, added that Gordon “wouldn’t shake our hands” before retreating to the dressing room.

Gordon flatly rejected the narrative. “I got changed by myself in a changing room the size of this,” he told MOTD, gesturing to the small interview area. “It was just me and a sink. I didn’t go past anyone.”

Head coach Eddie Howe, who made the final call after consulting medical staff, backed his forward. “He’s so single-minded that a lot of the noise just brushes off him,” Howe said. “Focus on what you need to do—that’s what he always does.”

Against Chelsea, Gordon embodied that ethos. Tino Livramento’s burst from centre-back released Joe Willock, who squared for Gordon to finish the contest’s lone goal. Beyond the strike, Gordon led Newcastle’s press with more high-intensity pressures in the opposition half than any other player and sprinted 40 yards to deny Reece James a shooting chance, taking a heavy knock in the process.

The win ended a wretched run of away form; only Leeds, Burnley and Wolves had collected fewer Premier League road points than Newcastle’s 13 before kick-off. Victories at Tottenham, Aston Villa and Qarabag had hinted at a revival, but success at Stamford Bridge—where Newcastle had won only once in Premier League history—carries symbolic weight ahead of Wednesday’s return leg in Barcelona.

“We needed to win today to give us any chance of winning in Barcelona and progressing through the Champions League,” Howe admitted. “You need the confidence that winning gives you.”

For Gordon, the message is equally clear: the critics can talk; he will keep running, pressing and, when it matters, finishing.