What happened in the first leg?published at 18:44 GMT
Newcastle v Qarabag (20:00, 6-1 agg)
Ciaran Kelly
BBC Sport football news reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesAnthony Gordon scored four goals as rampant Newcastle United blew Qarabag away to take control of their last 16 Champions League play-off tie.
It took Gordon just two minutes to open the scoring after the latched on to a through ball from marauding centre-back Dan Burn and finished coolly past goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski into the bottom corner. Newcastle did not let up from that moment and Kieran Trippier’s teasing cross was headed home by the towering Malick Thiaw at the back post just a few minutes later.
Newcastle were awarded the first of two penalties on the night after Harvey Barnes’ shot struck the arm of the sliding Matheus Silva as the Qarabag defender attempted to block a shot from inside the box. Following a review by the video assistant referee (VAR), referee Espen Eskas was sent over to his pitchside monitor to take a second look and he duly pointed to the spot.
Although Kochalski guessed the right way, and got a touch to the ball, the Qarabag ‘keeper could not keep out Gordon’s powerful penalty. But Gordon was far from finished yet and, remarkably, the forward scored his third from the restart after he pounced on slack play from defender Kevin Medina and rounded Kochalski to make it 4-0.
There was still time for Gordon to grab his fourth from the spot just a couple of minutes before half-time after goalkeeper Kocalski took the England international down inside the box. Kochalski again guessed correctly, but it was another emphatic penalty from Gordon.
Qarabag, to their credit, rallied after the break and defender Elvin Cafarquliyev pulled one back from a tight angle. But substitute Jacob Murphy went on to score a deflected effort from distance to restore Newcastle’s five-goal advantage before these sides meet in the return fixture at St James’ Park.
