Anthony Gordon started as Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-1 to continue their perfect La Liga campaign but the Englishman's performance has been critiqued
Anthony Gordon of FC Barcelona disappointed during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Sevilla v FC Barcelona at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan
Anthony Gordon's Barcelona despatched a valiant Sevilla side 3-1 in La Liga(Image: Getty)
Anthony Gordon's Barcelona beat a tough Sevilla side 3-1 in La Liga on Saturday to make it seven league wins from seven. But the media in Spain weren't all that convinced by the ex-Newcastle United winger, who is yet to score this season.
The 25-year-old left St James' Park for the Camp Nou in July and kicked off his first domestic campaign away from English football with two assists against Elche. Since then, the £70million man has registered two more assists as his new side have won every single one of their eight games in all competitions, scoring four or more goals in six of them.
But in recent weeks, Gordon has slightly eased off the gas. He was ousted from the starting XI for his team's Champions League opener against Feyenoord, which resulted in a 5-1 victory, with another recruit, Karim Adeyemi, preferred on the left. In a 7-2 rout of Racing Santander last week, Gordon was dropped again for Adeyemi and didn't feature at all.
On Saturday against Sevilla, Gordon started, but failed to convert a series of golden opportunities, even being moved into the false nine for a brief period in the second half, before being taken off in the 86th minute. The Spanish media have been far from complimentary about how England star Gordon played in the 3-1 victory, in which his other attacking team-mates shone.
Mundo Deportivo
Former Leeds United star Raphinha grabbed all three goals in the win against Sevilla, taking his league tally to 12 already this term. He stole the headlines, whilst Mundo Deportivo claimed Gordon lacks that true star quality.
Sevilla's Spanish forward #30 Miguel Angel Sierra and Barcelona's English forward #17 Anthony Gordon fight for the ball during the Spanish league football match between Sevilla FC and FC Barcelona at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium
The Englishman hasn't scored this season despite his team running riot in most of their wins(Image: Getty)
Using one word to describe Gordon's performance, it wrote: "Incomplete." The report continued: "He is a tactical blessing but being an attacker as he is, he's lacking that spark that distinguishes a star from a good player.
"He missed chances which he pursued with more passion than finesse. Hansi Flick brought on Adeyemi on the left wing, moving Gordon to centre-forward to try and find that elusive goal.
"But he missed two excellent opportunities, failing to even get a shot off and Gabriel Jesus finished the game as the lone striker. Odysseas Vlachodimos prevented Adeyemi from scoring a fourth."
AS
AS was slightly more flattering, praising Gordon's efforts in the 3-1 victory, a win which means Barcelona will head into the international break with a three-point lead atop the La Liga table. Though Raphinha was credited with overshadowing him.
Raphinha of FC Barcelona (R) celebrates after scoring their team’s second goal during the LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27 match between Sevilla FC and FC Barcelona at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan
Raphinha bagged a perfect hat-trick(Image: Getty)
It penned: "He tried, but nothing came of it. At least he doesn't give up and keeps trying, but he's unlucky in front of goal. He played a few minutes as a false nine, with Lamine Yamal and Adeyemi as his main providers.
"Gordon had time to miss two clear-cut chances, demonstrating his ongoing goal drought. But Sevilla had no chance in the second half, ultimately overwhelmed by a Raphinha-led offensive onslaught."
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SPORT
Gordon's showing was rated 6/10 by SPORT, which agreed that Gordon doesn't lack tenacity but, at the moment, is just missing that edge compared to the likes of Raphinha and Yamal.
It claimed: "He roamed across the entire attacking front and ended up playing as a centre-forward. He wasn't sharp, as evidenced by two missed shots and he needs to score to regain his confidence.
Anthony Gordon of FC Barcelona and Andres Castrin of Sevilla FC in action during the Spanish league, LaLiga EA Sports, football match played between Sevilla FC and FC Barcelona at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan
The 25-year-old did catch compliments for his efforts when pressing and in attack(Image: Getty)
"Even so, he occupied the centre-backs, dealt with the pressure and provided the tactical discipline that Flick seeks. His profile complements Adeyemi's.
"Barcelona remain unstoppable. They know how to score goals and they also know how to suffer. Flick's men head into the international break without having dropped a single point and with the feeling that this season could be very special."