Howe claims four-goal hero Gordon ´could have had more´ in Qarabag thrashing

Anthony Gordon scored four times for Newcastle United in their rout of Qarabag on Wednesday, but Eddie Howe believes his forward “could have had more”.

Newcastle were out of sight by half-time in the first leg of their Champions League play-off, leading 5-0 after four goals from Gordon, with two of those from the penalty spot.

Gordon became only the second player in Champions League history to score four goals in the first half of a game, after Luiz Adriano for Shakhtar Donetsk against BATE Borisov in October 2014.

But having attempted a game-leading six shots, with all of those on target, Howe suggested Gordon may even have added more to his historic tally.

“He was really good in that first half,” Howe said of Gordon on TNT Sports.

“He started the press, a number of his goals came from his attitude off the ball. He could have had more, but a very good display.”

Qarabag 1-6 Newcastle

Newcastle have one foot (and four toes) in the round of 16.

Across 90 minutes, the Magpies generated 5.4 expected goals, a total only bettered this season by Liverpool (5.9) in their Champions League encounter with … Qarabag. pic.twitter.com/1UlC4OksUT

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) February 18, 2026

Gordon is now Newcastle’s top scorer in the competition (10), with his four goals seeing him overtake Alan Shearer (six).

He is just the second Englishman to reach double figures for goals in a single Champions League campaign, after Harry Kane in 2024-25 (11).

Malick Thiaw got in on the act with an eighth-minute finish, while Jacob Murphy closed the scoring in a 6-1 thrashing that leaves Newcastle in control before the second leg at St. James’ Park.

All 91 teams have progressed in instances where they have scored five or more in the first leg of a European Cup/Champions League two-legged tie, but Howe is focused on getting the job done.

“We wanted to keep the momentum in the second half,” he continued. “The game changed, and they played lower on the pitch, which made it more difficult for us.

“Overall, it’s a great day for us. We know the tie isn’t dead or over, but we are in a great position.”

The Magpies were also only the second side ever to lead a Champions League knockout stage game by five or more goals at half-time, after Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals against Porto in April 2015 (also 5-0).

“A tribute to the team today. We were really good in the first half. That’s as good as we have played in a long time,” Howe concluded.