Anthony Gordon has revealed the compliment paid to him by Jose Mourinho after his starring role in Newcastle United's 3-0 Champions League victory over Benfica. The 24-year-old England international scored the opener and assisted the final goal at St James' Park, prompting the Portuguese manager to seek him out at the final whistle.
"He said 'You're too much', which is a big compliment for me because as a kid, he was my favourite manager in the world growing up," Gordon told reporters. "It's quite weird because he was quite a defensive manager, but I just love the way… even then, the bench was getting up. He really creates a team environment, it's like us against the world. I recognise that from my own game, so it was a big compliment."
Gordon's performance helped Newcastle claim a resounding victory before a crowd of 52,073. The winger opened the scoring after 32 minutes with a timely finish from Jacob Murphy's cross, and after Harvey Barnes doubled the lead from Nick Pope's long throw, Gordon turned provider for Barnes to make it 3-0. The result lifted Newcastle to seventh in the table with six points from their opening three games.
Head coach Eddie Howe praised his two starting wingers, saying: "I thought both our wingers that started the game did really well. It was great to see them combine for the first goal, that's a really pleasing sight. Anthony played very direct and I thought athletically, he was excellent." Gordon also lauded the contribution of summer signing Nick Woltemade, saying the £69million Germany international's flicks and first touches were "top, top level."
