It felt like a glimpse of the future. Anthony Gordon may have only been on the field for 21 minutes, but the substitute made quite an impression on his Newcastle United debut in the 1-1 draw against West Ham on Saturday night.
It said it all that even the mere sight of Gordon receiving his final instructions from Eddie Howe on the touchline at St James' Park gave the crowd a lift before the forward received a huge cheer and had his name sung by the Gallowgate End when he replaced Allan Saint-Maximin in the second half. It was just what Newcastle needed and the last thing West Ham wanted at a time when the Hammers were pinned back in their own half.
To paraphrase the words Declan Rice uttered to Gordon, when the pair crossed paths in the interview area after the game, it was like the rapid youngster had a jetpack on his back when he entered the field. At a time when Newcastle needed to up the pace, Gordon demanded the ball and got his side moving.
