Anthony Gordon: Newcastle striker responds to ‘complete nonsense’ from Rooney and Shearer

What few people knew at the time was that Gordon had been ill in bed for three days.

He was not even able to participate in a training session on the morning of the Barcelona match.

As much as Gordon felt “ready to start” that evening, it was manager Eddie Howe who made the final decision to keep him on the bench after speaking to the club’s medical team.

He said: “When I arrived on the field, the coach told me that I would not play, which I did not like very much, but this was his decision and the team played well.”

“To say I didn’t want to play in the biggest game of my career is absolute nonsense.

“I think Rooney said I passed them and didn’t shake their hands and went into the changing room. But I didn’t do that.

“I changed myself in a changing room this big. It was just me and the sink. Complete nonsense. I think they need to improve what they’re doing.”

Howe and Gordon agreed that he is fit enough to start at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The 25-year-old sure looked like it.

His goal proved the difference against Chelsea, but Gordon’s selfless work off the ball was crucial to this win too.

Gordon led Newcastle’s pressing from the front – applying more high-powered pressure into the opposition half than any other player – and also came back quickly to assist his teammates on a number of occasions.

At one point, when it looked like Chelsea captain Reece James was about to kick the ball wide of a dangerous position, Gordon raced back to make the challenge, taking a heavy hit in the process.

No wonder many members of the coaching staff and a number of Gordon’s teammates were turning to him full-time.

“He’s very determined and focused on what he needs to do, which takes a lot of the noise out of him, which is a great thing to be able to do if you were in his shoes,” Howe said.

“I would encourage every player to do that. Don’t get distracted, don’t absorb it, don’t absorb anything – just focus on what you have to do.

“That’s what he always does. He’s been in a really good place recently. I was very happy with how he did. This was a big game and he really stepped up. He scored the goal but he contributed in many ways in the win.”