Anthony Gordon made an immediate impact on his Barcelona league debut, setting up two goals in a 5-0 victory over Elche as the La Liga champions began their title defence in emphatic fashion.
The former Newcastle United winger came on with Barcelona 2-0 up and quickly made his mark, teeing up Raphinha's second goal in the 67th minute. Four minutes later, Gordon unselfishly squared for Fermin Lopez to tap in a fourth.
Spanish media praise for Gordon
Barcelona fans and media have moved on quickly from Marcus Rashford, who helped the Catalans to the title last season during his loan spell from Manchester United. The decision to sign Gordon for £69.3million rather than trigger the clause in Rashford's loan for a much lower price raised eyebrows, but his performances at the World Cup with England, promising pre-season form and now his league debut have left fans and media asking 'Marcus who?'
SPORT said Gordon and fellow new signing Adeyemi have brought "dynamism, pressure and a decisive burst of speed." It added: "Against Elche, one scored as a starter and the other came off the bench to capitalise on the opposition's fatigue with two assists. Two different profiles for the same idea: to accelerate the attack when the game allows."
It was pointed out that the pair don't both need to be on the pitch to be "game-changers" for Hansi Flick's side. On Gordon, the same outlet added: "Beyond the assists, his introduction allowed Barca to better exploit the spaces when Elche began to show signs of fatigue. Gordon accelerated the transitions and constantly threatened to attack behind the defense, a particularly valuable characteristic when the opponent is already forced to push forward."
High ratings and 'unstoppable' verdict
The Barcelona Universal website gave Gordon a rating of 8.5/10 and called it a "very promising debut." Mundo Deportivo also reserved high praise for the former Everton star, calling him "unstoppable," while La Vanguardia branded him "electric and selfless" having "come out firing on all cylinders."
Despite missing a penalty, Gordon also impressed in last week's final pre-season game against Al Ahly. He will now be hoping to have played his way into Flick's starting line-up when Barcelona host Athletic Club on Thursday.
