There he is, sandwiched between Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane as Erling Haaland trails in a distant fourth.
Anthony Gordon has always been adamant that he belongs in the pantheon of elite modern day forwards and, statistically speaking at least, his football appears to be doing the talking for him in the Champions League this season.
Mbappe (an impressive 13 goals) may have a healthy lead in the competition’s golden boot leaderboard but Gordon (now sitting on 10) isn’t doing too badly for a player who has only played through the middle eight times this season.
Returned to the centre-forward role that he was thrust into in desperation at the start of the season, Gordon suddenly looks like a player transformed by the responsibility. Four goals against Qarabag to effectively seal Newcastle’s place in the last 16 of the Champions League was impressive but it was also part of a trend for the England man.
He has six goal involvements since Eddie Howe shook his forward line up at Anfield three weeks ago and the experiment to push him into the middle appears to be working.
Anthony Gordon rifles in Newcastle's third from the penalty spot
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Credit has to go to Gordon, who can be a lightning rod for criticism in this Newcastle side. His look, swagger and tendency to talk himself up can jar when the goals aren’t flowing.
But when he plays like this – even brushing off a demand from captain Kieran Trippier to hand over penalty responsibilities to Nick Woltemade late in the first half – you really do see what all the fuss is about.
For Thomas Tuchel, who has always liked the Newcastle forward, it is food for thought. It would be no surprise if he started against Croatia in Dallas in four months’ time.
Gordon was electric in Azerbaijan, destroying opposition that had sprung a few surprises in making it into the Champions League play-offs. Qarabag had taken points off Copenhagen, Benfica and Chelsea in the league phase but looked utterly out of their depth against a Newcastle side who seem to be relishing the more open, up-and-at-them style of sides in Europe.
It is admirable that Qarabag boss Gurban Gurbanov felt his side could go toe-to-toe with Newcastle but he had perhaps not factored in that Howe, looking for answers to save the Magpies’ season, has reconfigured his forward line completely in the last week or so.
Out has gone the out-of-sorts Yoane Wissa and Woltemade and in has come Gordon, whose energy and incision has refreshed Newcastle’s attack and allowed them to press from the front again. All of a sudden they look much more like the team that etched their name in club history in the second half of last season.
It helps that Gordon has stopped overthinking things in front of goal. Just two minutes were on the clock in Baku when he was fed a through ball from the marauding Dan Burn and his finish was instinctive, dispatching past Mateusz Kochalski without missing a beat.
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It set the tone for an embarrassingly one-sided first half. Malick Thiaw nodded a second from Trippier’s excellent cross before Gordon tucked him the first of two penalties Newcastle were awarded.
For the second Gordon was encouragingly selfish, ignoring Trippier’s overtures for him to allow Woltemade to take the spot kick. But why should he? Gordon is the penalty taker, he’s fantastic from the spot and he’s a live contender to win the Champions League golden boot. You’d be disappointed in any forward who felt charitable in that position.
For Howe it couldn’t have gone better. A five goal cushion means he can rest players for the home leg next week as Newcastle build momentum. Don’t be surprised if Gordon, with Mbappe in his sights, petitions to play, though.
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