Brilliant Anthony Gordon Performance Reveals Why he Might be One of Football’s Most Disrespected Players

Brilliant Anthony Gordon Performance Reveals Why he Might be One of Football’s Most Disrespected Players

Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock as England went on to beat the Czech Republic 2-0 in their second Nations League match.

England had a nervy start to the match, sloppy in possession and unable to create any big chances of note, but Pavel Sulc's first-half red card helped them calm down and eventually go on to claim a big three points.

The past few months have been a hard slog for manager Thomas Tuchel. Taking over the reins nearly two years ago, many fans believed the German would be the one to ‘bring it home,’ yet that belief was firmly extinguished when England put up one of the most shambolic performances against Argentina.

Going 1-0 up in the 55th minute—courtesy of an Anthony Gordon goal—England were pegged back twice in the 85th and 92nd minutes to cause heartbreak once again, with a bitter rival controversially celebrating with a ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas’ (The Falklands are Argentine).

Tuchel received serious criticism following the match's conclusion, with many pointing out that his side had just 12% possession after the opener.

England have played in just one match since their loss to Argentina, a 3-2 classic against world champions Spain.

Despite the high intensity and end-to-end action, fans were once right to criticise the German manager and his players, with the defence extremely lax, allowing goals from Lamine Yamal, Alex Baena, and Mikel Oyarzabal.

Last night's match may have been against weaker opponents—the Central European side finished the World Cup with just one point in one of the weakest groups—but it was a chance for Tuchel’s side to play open football with little to no pressure, and it was a match that Gordon excelled in.

Antony Gordon’s Rise

Making his debut at just 16 in the Europa League in a 3-0 win against Apollon Limassol, no Evertonian would have predicted the rise of the young winger.

“I made sure Gordon got his debut at Limassol [as a coach under Sam Allardyce], I then gave Anthony his second game against Leicester [in the Carabao Cup],” Ferguson wrote in his autobiography, Big Dunc.

“I loved his appetite to improve, he wanted to learn and practise, practise, practise.

“He was as fit as a fiddle and took diet seriously but was still going to different boxing gyms and sparring. ‘You have to stop,’ I told Anthony, ‘You can’t go to them, you’ll get hurt’. “He battered me once in the Finch Farm gym. I had a pair of boxing gloves on, he didn’t. And I didn’t do it again.”

In January of 2023, he pushed for a move away from the North-West, eventually landing a £40 million transfer to Newcastle.

Many Everton fans were dismayed at the prospect of their prospect leaving the club.

The then 21-year-old missed three days of training and handed in a transfer request at his boyhood club before being granted his transfer to Newcastle.

"There has always been some difficult moments this year but I never took any of it personally; stick by the team because they need you," he wrote on social media.

"I love this club and I always have from the day I joined but the time has come for me to leave. I know many fans won't understand but the next chapter awaits. I will always wish the best for this club and always be watching on."

Following his move, Gordon was quick to remind people that "people haven't seen what I'm capable of yet.”

"Since I heard of the interest, I was always convinced Newcastle were for me," Gordon told NUFC TV.

"I think the fan base and the city really suits me as a person, the way the team are playing under the gaffer at the minute really suits me, and the club just look like they're heading in the right direction.

"I feel like it's a really big step. I think under the gaffer, and the way the club's going, I can really excel here."

At Newcastle, Gordon quickly proved his earlier comments correct, scoring 39 goals across 152 matches, helping Newcastle qualify for the Champions League in his first season—their first time qualifying for Europe in 10 years, and their first time in the Champions League for 20—as well as winning their player of the season in the 2023/24 season.

His shining moment as a Magpie was lifting the 2025 League Cup. The winger was paramount throughout the tournament, scoring twice across the two-legged semi-final against Arsenal, but tragically missing the final due to a red card suspension suffered against Brighton just days earlier.

His side stayed resilient without him, ending their 70-year drought for a major domestic trophy.

A year and a half later, Gordon had made a £69.3m transfer to European behemoths Barcelona, and had a stellar World Cup that received little fanfare.

It may feel like it has always been this way for the 25-year-old, ever since he was released by Liverpool as a child. A silent character that makes little noise, but is deadly when you give him a chance.

Last night proved just that.

England’s fixture against the Czech Republic was not vital by any means. The Nations League isn't a huge tournament, but after two losses on the bounce in all competitions, the beads of sweat on Tuchel’s forehead were starting to drop.

Gordon put his fears to rest as he opened the scoring in the 46th minute with a clever header that left Matej Kovar stranded in net.

It wasn't just his goal that impressed last night, though; the Englishman completed seven progressive carries, had a 94% passing accuracy, and created four chances.

📊 Anthony Gordon vs Czech 🇨🇿

⏱️ 81 minutes
⚽️ 1 goal
🔑 4 chances created
🎯 44/47 passes
🎯 94% pass accuracy
🥅 4 shots
🎯 2 shots on target
💨 1 successful dribble
🏃 30 carries
⏩ 7 progressive carries
👟 62 touches
⭐ 8.9 SofaScore rating pic.twitter.com/RcUhhUf6qV

— Barça 1899 Stats (@barca1899stats) September 29, 2026

His performance was a subtle reminder of how good he truly is.

Gordon is yet to net his first goal for Barcelona, and has played just 424 minutes across seven matches, missing the Catalan side's 7-2 win against Racing in the league.

But this is to be expected for a player slowly becoming adjusted to a new league, and despite the lack of playing time, he has still contributed five assists, the joint most in La Liga, with the most per game (0.67).

Gordon and England will face two more fixtures in this edition of the Nations League—an away trip to Croatia before the reverse fixture against the Czech Republic at Wembley—before players return to their clubs.

The 26-year-old will be hoping for some present time out on the pitch, as Barcelona face a tricky period with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, and Real Madrid to come before the next international break.