Newcastle United ran riot in Baku and there were plenty of talking points after the game - not to mention records that were smashed in real style
Newcastle United U19s line up before their game against Marseille U19s
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Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe must decide whether to field a second string against Qarabag in the second leg of the Magpies' Champions League play-off.
With an £11millon UEFA jackpot on the line, Howe was cautious about the prospect of fielding names from List B for the clash on Tyneside next week - even with a healthy 6-1 buffer going into the game. Instead, Howe could go strong against the Azerbaijan outfit, who were left deflated after a four-goal salvo from Anthony Gordon plus strikes from Malick Thiaw and Jacob Murphy.
The likes of Leo Shahar, Sean Neave, who was handed his debut last night during the rout in Baku, Sam Alabi, Michael Mills and Matheos Ferreira are all eligible to play and may yet get some action next week.
But Howe said in Baku last night: "We will need to take a break and think before we get too far ahead. My next thought is Man City.
"We fully respect Qarabag - I fully respect them, I have watched them loads, they have some very good players, we will take the second leg very seriously. We know the tie's not over, but we've put ourselves in a great position. I just think we've got to be professional in every moment.
"We know how football can change. We respect every opponent, and we have to be very good in the next game."
Newcastle went in a 5-0 up at the break against Qarabag, but the Magpies could not keep their foot on the accelerator and as so often happens when teams storm into big leads, the main goalscoring action dried up in the second half.
Howe said: "We obviously wanted to keep the momentum in the second half. The game changed. They played a lot lower on the pitch and made it more difficult for us. It took us a little period of the game to adjust to that. And then I thought we were good again towards the end. So, overall, it's just a great day for us.
Nick Woltemade myth busted behind the scenes in Azerbaijan
Reports of Woltemade being unhappy, circulating from a mere opinion piece in Bild, spread like wildfire on matchday after being picked up by some UK outlets. The suggestion was that Woltemade is cheesed off with playing in midfield but ChronicleLive has been informed that both the German international and the backroom team are mystified by the claims he will return to the Bundesliga.
Woltemade has 10 goals to his name and could finish the season strong. Playing further back is not new for Woltemade at all. He has played as a second striker 39 times in his career, scoring 15 goals and making four assists from there. And as an attacking midfield, or a No 8 if you like, he has played there 19 times, scored four and made four.
The 6ft 6in striker was spotted smiling and engaging in team banter after the game last night. Howe said after the game: "I thought Nick was really good today. I thought off the ball, excellent tactically and he really understood what was asked of him. But very reliable in possession – I don't think he gave a ball away.
"I thought he was very good in some awkward situations. He's also got that creative flair that we need in that position on the pitch. So he can be really pleased with his day."
With Joelinton just coming back from injury and Bruno Guimaraes injured, Woltemade playing deeper is not being looked at as anything sinister in the Toon camp.
The five records smashed by Newcastle in Baku
After the game the club released a statement underlining the records broken during the 6-1 win over Qarabag:
Anthony Gordon has broken a Newcastle record for goals scored (10) in a single Champions League campaign. The previous record was held by Alan Shearer with six.
Gordon is the third player to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League for Newcastle United, along with Shearer and Tino Asprilla.
Gordon becomes the second player to score four goals in the first half of a UEFA Champions League game - and he is the first to do so in the knockout stage.
Newcastle United had seven English players in their starting lineup - Gordon, Barnes, Pope, Trippier, Burn, Hall and Willock - which is the most from a Premier League side since Manchester United against Monaco in 1998.
Newcastle become only the second side ever to lead a UEFA Champions League knockout stage game by 5+ goals at half-time. The other was Bayern Munich vs FC Porto in the quarter-finals back in 2015.
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