The moment of class from Anthony Gordon that left Eddie Howe applauding at SJP - Watch here
Sandro Tonali and Alexander Isak stole the headlines on Saturday and rightly so in part, but I left St James' Park feeling so encouraged by Anthony Gordon's performance.
Not only did he show so much confidence in possession, releasing the ball quickly, making brilliant darting runs and setting up Tonali's opener with a lovely left-footed cross, he displayed so much desire and much improved fitness levels.
One moment that stood out for me was his recovery run to hold up Moussa Diaby's dangerous break on the counter. The Frenchman has bags of pace and threatened to burst clean through after Miguel Almiron lost the ball in a bad area, but Gordon reacted brilliantly, showing speed and impressive defensive instincts to force the winger wide.
Watch the moment below, which Eddie Howe applauded on the touch line:
No one won more fouls (6) and no one won more duels (10) on Saturday, where Gordon's work on and off the ball played a key role in our 5-1 win over Unai Emery's Villa.
After a positive summer with England and impressive pre-season, it's great to see our £40m man look full of confidence, energy and quality heading into this weekend's trip to the Etihad.
