Newcastle United issue immediate Anthony Gordon update after injury blow
A hip injury forced Anthony Gordon to withdraw during Newcastle United’s 2-0 win over Athletic Club.
Newcastle United took a big step towards qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages with a 2-0 win over Athletic Club.
Dan Burn headed the Magpies in front after 11 minutes before Joelinton added a second shortly after half-time.
Eddie Howe’s side moved up to sixth in the Champions League table on nine points, level on points with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Liverpool.
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The top eight advance automatically to the last 16, while clubs ranked ninth to 24th take part in a seeded play-off round. Qualifying for the latter required 11 points last season, meaning United are potentially just two points away ahead of remaining matches against Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, PSV Eindhoven and PSG.
Eddie Howe reflects on Newcastle United’s win against Athletic Club
Reflecting on the win, Howe said: “I think they were all very, very difficult games and I think today we navigated that one really well, especially after the weekend it was important. We responded mentally and our psychology was really good and I thought we were in a good place today in that respect.
“I don’t think it was our best performance but it was good enough and as you say, three wins in a row, so some strong performances at home and we're in a good position.
“I think when you look at the fixtures, we're always aware that these home games are really important for us. That puts sort of an added pressure on us.
“Now we go away from home and of course we've had our troubles in the Premier League away from home, but we look forward to these games. I think they're an amazing thing. Marseille will be a really great experience for everybody, a tough ground to go to.
“We're looking forward to that. Certainly better going there with nine points behind us.”
Newcastle United issue official Anthony Gordon injury update
Howe made two changes from the 3-1 defeat to West Ham United on Sunday, with Kieran Trippier brought in for Emil Krafth at right-back and Harvey Barnes getting the nod ahead of Jacob Murphy.
Anthony Gordon kept his place, despite his performances coming under scrutiny in the build-up to the game, but was forced off in the 41st minute due to a hip injury.