Anthony Gordon hailed by pundits after ‘making a big difference’ on Newcastle debut

Anthony Gordon’s performance drew praise from pundits after the winger made his Newcastle debut on Saturday.

The 21-year-old winger completed a £45m move from boyhood club Everton in the final days of the January transfer window.

And after bowing to his Magpies in a 1-1 draw against West Ham at St James’ Park at the weekend, club icon Shay Given hailed his impact after a brilliant 20-minute cameo appearance.

He said: ‘There is a lot of excitement in the city, but West Ham deserves credit. Anthony Gordon made a big difference when he came off the bench.

‘Not losing the game is important. It’s down a bit from the high the other night, but it’s a point on the board.

Pundits praised Anthony Gordon’s performance when he made his Newcastle debut on Saturday.

The £45m winger looked brilliant in a 25-minute cameo appearance against West Ham at St James’ Park

And club icon Shay Given (pictured above) hailed the instant impact the 21-year-old provided.

Fellow pundit Jamie Redknapp added: ‘Gordon showed what it was all about, he gave them something different. (wideman Allan) Saint-Maximin fought. They missed (midfielder Bruno) Guimaraes.’

‘If West Ham continues like this, they will get a lot of victories. In midfield Paquetá and Rice were exceptional. West Ham looked very good in attack. It will feel like a loss for Newcastle after what was a great week.

The point leaves Eddie Howe’s side in fourth place, four points clear of Tottenham in the race to finish in the Champions League places, while West Ham, currently 16th, move one point clear of the drop zone.

The Magpies next travel to relegation-threatened Bournemouth.