England cruised to a 5-0 win over Latvia in UEFA’s World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday evening to secure their place in the tournament proper in North America next summer.
The victory in Riga has seen a lot of praise for England’s attacking stars after dismantling the Baltic nation with ease, continuing their record of winning every game and failing to concede in six straight qualifiers.
Harry Kane added to his ever-growing Three Lions tally with two more goals, whilst Arsenal’s creative spark Eberechi Eze got in on the act after an own goal from defender Maksims Tonisevs.
However, it is Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon who has arguably been praised the most for his ‘relentless’ outing in eastern Europe after cementing his place in Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI with the opening goal.
Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty ImagesAnthony Gordon was England’s star man vs Latvia
It was the speedy Premier League winger who got England up and running just before the half-hour mark, cutting inside and firing into the bottom corner to record his second goal for the Three Lions.
Gordon signed for Newcastle three years ago, and his form on Tyneside has seen him make a string of appearances for England prior to Euro 2024. However, he was by no means a regular in the team to start with, despite Gordon being linked to Liverpool just a few months after the tournament.
That all changed under Lee Carsley, earning a run of games in the Nations League before eventually grabbing his first goal against Republic of Ireland in November.
From there, he’s been England’s out-and-out starting winger, starting in 11 of their last 14 games at international level – and his most recent outing has earned him praise.
Highlights of England’s 5-0 win over Latvia on Tuesday
The Daily Telegraph stated that Gordon was England’s best player in the first half with chances converted and created, operating well to give England a 3-0 lead by the break. They wrote: “[Gordon] was England’s most incisive player in the first half, providing an excellent cross for Kane that the captain failed to convert before cutting in himself to score England’s opener. Also interchanged effectively down the left with Lewis-Skelly.”
Meanwhile, the Daily Express wrote that Gordon was ‘threatening’, being unlucky not to register an assist for Harry Kane in the first half. They added: “Followed up on his lively showing against Wales with another threatening display. Good ball for an early Kane effort which he missed and then a brilliant finish on 26 minutes as he cut inside to find the far corner for his second ever England goal.”
The Evening Standard gave arguably the best superlative of the night, calling Gordon ‘relentless’ as he laid terror upon Latvia’s backline. They wrote: England’s clear man of the match on the night. Was relentless in the press and scored a fantastic goal, latching on to Stones’s long ball and cutting in before firing home.”
With performances such as the one on Tuesday night, it’s fair to say that Anthony Gordon has earned the respect of players and pundits alike with his electric form.
Anthony Gordon is keeping over £200million worth of talent out of the England team
The Newcastle star was described as ‘on fire’ by Morgan Rogers on Instagram after his goal in Riga, and he’s quite clearly become Thomas Tuchel’s first-choice on the left flank.
Former Three Lions star Joe Cole had predicted Gordon to be a ‘breakout star’ this season, and although he’s yet to garner a goal contribution in the Premier League, it’s clear that he’s England’s main starter.
As a result, that has left Jack Grealish – a £100million player after his 2021 move to Manchester City – as well as Marcus Rashford, who has been touted at £40million in the past year, and £67.5million-rated Eberechi Eze all sitting on the bench for Tuchel.
It’s a testament to Gordon’s explosiveness, energy and unpredictability on the wing for his country, and if he can improve his Premier League output before the end of the season then it could be his position to lose for a long time.