Micah Richards is wowed by ‘relentless’ Newcastle United star who had ’33 sprints’ vs Man City

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There was no lack of effort or energy in Newcastle United’s draw against Manchester City this weekend.

Prior to Saturday afternoon, performances had been well below par from Eddie Howe‘s side this season.

But Newcastle United rose to the occasion against the reigning champions and took a deserved point from a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park.

From the very first minute, Newcastle pressed high against City and gave Pep Guardiola’s side no breathing space. That kind of intensity and energy has been lacking this season but it was on full display on Saturday.

City did take the lead through Josko Gvardiol in the first half, but Newcastle bounced back after the break through Anthony Gordon’s penalty just shy of the hour mark.

Anthony Gordon ‘relentless’ vs Manchester City

With Alexander Isak out injured with a toe issue, Anthony Gordon was chosen to lead the line for Newcastle against City.

It is set to be announced that Gordon has signed a new six-year contract with Newcastle to put an end to the transfer speculation, and it was clear from his performance against City that his head and heart are with the Magpies.

He led the charge for Newcastle’s press and earned his reward when he won the penalty and scored it in the second half. Howe pointed out Gordon’s improved fitness after the full-time whistle.

Speaking on BBC Match of the Day, Micah Richards also singled out an impressive stat from Gordon’s display.

“Gordon, I think, 33 sprints he had in the game, he was relentless playing in that number nine position,” Richards said.

Anthony Gordon is returning to his best

Gordon has not enjoyed the best start to the season, and only last week he was called out for “shocking body language.

But with his contract saga now sorted and his fitness starting to ramp up, Gordon looked back to his best against City.

READ MORE: Anthony Gordon shares what Eddie Howe told the Newcastle players after their draw with Man City

He filled in up front despite it not being his best position, and he did superbly to make sure Isak wasn’t too much of a miss.

Hopefully this is the start of Gordon returning to the incredible form he showed last season where he scored 12 and assisted 11 across all competitions.