Forget Elanga, 26-touch Newcastle United star lifted a huge weight off his shoulders vs Barcelona

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Newcastle United were beaten 2-1 against Barcelona on Thursday night, but one player should still be very pleased with his contributions.

There was a real buzz around the city of Newcastle in the lead-up to kick-off; fans from both clubs swarmed the city centre and headed up to St James’ Park.

Eddie Howe should be pleased with the way his Newcastle United side performed against one of the best teams in the world. They looked fearless at times and were unlucky not to go ahead on multiple occasions in the first half.

However, it was not enough, as Marcus Rashford’s two goals were enough to seal the deal for the Spanish side, despite a late goal from the Magpies.

Anthony Elanga was the standout player for Newcastle on Thursday, with his pace causing many problems for the Barcelona defenders, but Anthony Gordon will be especially pleased with his contributions to the game.

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Anthony Gordon scores his first goal since February against Barcelona

With the seconds ticking down in the game, Newcastle got themselves up the pitch and Jacob Murphy sent a low driven cross into the penalty area, which Gordon managed to bundle over the line.

The England international did not celebrate, just ran to the goal to pick the ball back up and put it on the centre circle. However, had the situation been different, Gordon would have most likely been on cloud nine.

It has been a tough few months for Gordon on the pitch. In fact, before his goal against Barcelona, he had gone a staggering 22 games without scoring. His last goal came in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal, where he made it 2-0 and effectively secured the Magpies’ place in the Carabao Cup final.

Since then, Gordon has actually been sent off more times than he has scored goals, with the winger seeing red against Brighton in the FA Cup and, most recently, against Liverpool in the Premier League.

That goal, no matter how insignificant it was to the result, will be huge for Gordon, who only had 26 touches in the game. He will feel as if the weight of the entire world has been lifted from his shoulders and he can now push on after a goal drought he would rather forget.

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What Anthony Gordon said about Marcus Rashford after Barcelona heroics

Gordon was in awe of Frenkie de Jong and Pedri for Barcelona, saying they were both ‘fantastic’, but the winger simply had to acknowledge the fine performance from Rashford, his national teammate.

Rashford was linked with a move to Newcastle in January, but a deal failed to come to fruition as he joined Aston Villa on loan. The move to Barca now looks to have been the right one to help him get back on track.

England boss Thomas Tuchel was in attendance for the game, so he would have surely been a big fan of what he saw from both players.

When asked what he thought of Rashford’s performance, Gordon said: “Really good.

“I think he’s had a tough time for the past year or so, so I’m really happy for him. I know as a footballer you can go through difficult times and you can feel very lonely.

“He’s worked very hard, he seemed really happy last time I was on England camp with him. He’s a good lad, very nice guy, very shy, listen, he’s a top, top player. When he’s on his day he’s one of the best in the world, scored two amazing goals, so well done to him.”