Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips hits back at Anthony Gordon.
Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips has told Anthony Gordon to keep his ‘head down, keep quiet’ after his stunning post Tyne-Wear derby comments.
A late Brian Brobbey goal secured a dramatic victory for Sunderland on Sunday afternoon having fallen behind to a 10th minute Gordon strike. Newcastle United had further chances in the first half but Sunderland managed to get to half-time with just one goal separating the two sides, the Black Cats much brighter after the break. Chemsdine Talbi levelled the score before Brobbey’s late strike - to send the Sunderland fans wild. Eddie Howe and his Newcastle United players, meanwhile, were booed off the pitch.
That, however, didn’t stop Gordon from claiming Newcastle are the better side, and described Sunderland as ‘not a very good team’. That didn’t go down too well on Wearside as you can imagine and club legend Phillips has now hit back.
What did Anthony Gordon say after Sunderland’s dramatic - and deserved - Tyne-Wear derby win?
Reflecting on the performance, Gordon acknowledged familiar issues had resurfaced, particularly after half-time. “Not good enough, really. No excuses,” he said. “We were good for [just] 45 minutes, which has been the case too often this season.
“It’s something we knew going into the game and something we have been trying to work on this season. Not good enough [our] start to the second half, they were the better team in the second half. We had chances, we had some good play in the first half, but to be honest, I don’t think we showed our quality.”
“The frustrating thing is, in my opinion, they’re not a very good team, compared to us. We shouldn’t lose to them,” he added. “Away is obviously more difficult because they have their fans and the atmosphere, but at home we should not lose that game. Not with the first half that we had, but again we have not been good enough with the start to second halves, and it’s an ongoing problem.”
Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips slams Anthony Gordon’s post-match comments
Speaking on talkSPORT, Phillips said: “Not only lose the derby, but lost two derbies this season. Let's get that right.
“Anthony Gordon is a fantastic player but he didn't turn up in the first game and he didn't pretty much turn up in the second game apart from the goal. So it's a big statement coming out on the back of a defeat. “I would just keep my head down, keep quiet and crack on with my work. Listen, it was a fantastic performance from Sunderland. An incredible performance, incredible win. I know a lot of Sunderland fans. I watched it in the area and they were very nervous.
“They didn't really fancy their chances of winning the game. They felt they could get a draw, but to go there and perform the way they did after the first 10 minutes.
“I get annoyed when I listen to a lot of Newcastle fans say first half they dominated. They didn't. For the first 10 minutes, they were the better team but, after that, Sunderland matched them, was far superior in the second half and deserved to win the game. It’s as simple as that. A lot of their players didn’t turn up.”
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