Anthony Gordon has revealed what Jose Mourinho told him at full-time after Newcastle beat Benfica 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. The England winger scored the first goal of the game and assisted the third from Harvey Barnes as Eddie Howe's side recorded a thumping win.
Gordon's electric display
Gordon turned in an electric performance against Benfica as the Magpies recorded a thumping 3-0 win in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. The winger scored the opening goal of the game, and assisted the second of Harvey Barnes' brace to wrap up a decisive victory. Mourinho was fulsome in praise of the Magpies after full-time, and took himself onto the pitch to speak to Gordon privately, with the winger confirming that the Portuguese lavished him with some individual praise after seeing his side beaten.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWhat Mourinho told Gordon
Gordon said: “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.
“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.
“It means an awful lot. Even if I didn’t idolise him, a compliment from any coach at this level means a lot.”
Eddie Howe, his manager, was also mightily impressed with the performance of his wingers, adding: “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. He put a really big effort in both on and off the ball.”
Mourinho's humility
Mourinho was humble in his post-match press conference, insisting that Newcastle were simply the better side.
He said: “This tells me about the level of Newcastle. We could not compete with their horsepower. We lost being compact and were exposed. It’s just a case of levels.
"Their second goal was a killer, psychologically. The man-of-the-match was Anthony Gordon. Their wingers have pace and power – and they have four of them.”
Pundit Andros Townsend has even claimed that Gordon is the "best in the league in his position", having shared a dressing room with him at Everton.
He said: "When I first joined Everton, he was a young lad, and you could see he had quality. He had immense pace, but he didn't work hard enough. In a modern-day winger you need to be the first line of press, and he wasn't doing that.
"Then it sort of clicked for him. He started working hard, he started working on getting in the team. He started getting joy. The fans loved him. But even still, by the time Newcastle bought him for £50m, Everton fans were thinking, right, we don't want him to go, but I think we've got the better end of the deal with £50m.
"But since then, he's just put it all together. He's got the quality, he's got the consistency, the pace out of possession.
"For me, he's one of the best in the Premier League in his position, and it's all just come together for him. At the age of 24 he has absolutely everything and the world is oyster now for club and for for country, going into the summer's World Cup."
Getty Images SportWhat comes next?
Newcastle are next in action in the Premier League against Fulham before an EFL Cup clash with Tottenham. Howe's side are 14th in the Premier League table with two wins from their first eight games, and need a victory this weekend if they are to further their ambitions of challenging for European qualification once again. They are currently six points behind fourth-placed Bournemouth, so a run of victories is required if they are to climb the rungs of the top-flight ladder.