Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier offered their perspectives on their argument during Newcastle United's dominant win over Qarabag in the Champions League
Newcastle United duo Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier have shed light on their Champions League spat during the match against Qarabag. Gordon, 24, had a night to remember in Azerbaijan, netting four goals in the first half to put Newcastle firmly on the path to the Round of 16.
Two of his goals were from penalties, the first following a contentious penalty decision and the second after he was fouled by Qarabag goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski. However, following the latter, Trippier and Gordon seemed to engage in a heated exchange on the pitch, despite Gordon scoring the quickest ever Champions League hat-trick by an Englishman.
Trippier was displeased the former Everton forward didn't allow him to take the second penalty. As the half time whistle blew, one would have expected nothing but smiles, given the Magpies were leading 5-0, with Malick Thiaw also finding the back of the net earlier in the game.
But there was a confrontation between the two England team-mates, with several harsh words exchanged. Dan Burn and Anthony Elanga were the ones who stepped in to calm the dispute between the pair.
Once the match concluded with Newcastle holding a 6-1 aggregate lead ahead of the second leg against the Azerbaijanis at St. James' Park on February 24, both Gordon and Trippier spoke to TNT Sports simultaneously.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page
By the time the cameras were rolling and questions were being posed, they had resolved the disagreement. When questioned about what sparked the row, Trippier, whilst Gordon chuckled beside him, explained: "Obviously, Gordy scored a hat-trick and I think I, and all the other players, wanted to take the penalty, but he's our penalty taker.
"He wants to score goals, as everybody else does, but ultimately he is the penalty taker. In football, emotions are high on the pitch at times and it is what it is. He scored four goals, he was unbelievable today, and we move on."
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
When it was Gordon's turn to respond, the £40million signing stated: "Yeah, but I understand everyone's opinion because I want everyone to succeed and we should be in it together. But I'm an attacker and the penalty taker, I want to score as many goals as I possible can.
"I understood everyone's opinion and emotions do get high. But, he's one of my closest team-mates, he has been since I joined the club, he's done so much for me. So, yeah, he's alright."
Following the fixture, Howe also heaped further praise upon Gordon. He commented: "He was really, really good in that first half. I mean, I think he started the press.
"A number of his goals came from his attitude off the ball. I'm really pleased with his first goal as well because that was a key moment. It was a really good finish. He could have had more, but a very good display."