Eddie Howe shares what Anthony Gordon said to him before he took him off vs AC Milan last night

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There was a sense of shock when Anthony Gordon was substituted during Newcastle United’s Champions League defeat to AC Milan.

With the score level at 1-1, Newcastle United fans knew that another goal would be enough to send them through to the next round of the Champions League, with PSG only drawing with Borussia Dortmund.

With 62 minutes on the clock, Eddie Howe turned to his top scorer. Alexander Isak was coming on, as the Magpies went in search of a winner.

It felt likely that Callum Wilson would come off, only for the fourth official to display the number 10 instead.

That meant that Anthony Gordon was being replaced, much to the bemusement of the Toon Army and everyone watching on.

It was a strange decision, and now Eddie Howe has explained why he decided to remove the 22-year-old from the action.

Eddie Howe took Anthony Gordon off due to a hamstring issue

After the 2-1 defeat to AC Milan, Howe spoke to the Daily Mail. He explained why he took Gordon off, sharing what the winger told him before he was replaced.

“I had to make two changes I didn’t really want to make [Gordon and Trippier] due to injury,” he said.

On Gordon, Howe added: “He said he had an awareness of his hamstring. I am not sure if it’s an injury because he could still sort of play, but he couldn’t play to the level that he’s played for a long time.”

Newcastle lost their way in Champions League decider after Gordon came off

So it was an enforced change, rather than a tactical one. That makes more sense, because Gordon was having a great game up until the moment he was withdrawn.

He was our biggest threat in attack, and played an important role in Joelinton’s fantastic strike that gave us the lead in the first half.

Gordon’s departure had a massive impact on the game. The fresh legs of Isak failed to have the desired impact, with Newcastle very much losing their way after Howe was forced to take Gordon and Kieran Trippier off.

Hopefully it is nothing too serious for Newcastle’s number 10, as we still have some big games coming up.

It is vital that we bounce back on Saturday against Fulham, then it is a trip to London for the Carabao Cup quarter final clash with Chelsea on Tuesday.