London [UK], February 20: Newcastle team-mates Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier are friends again after falling out during their side's 6-1 Champions League play-off first leg drubbing of Qarabag on Wednesday.
The Magpies were leading 4-0 with Gordon having completed a first-half hat-trick - the first of his senior career - at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku when they were awarded a second penalty.
Skipper Trippier suggested to Gordon, who had already scored once from the spot, that he might like to give record signing Nick Woltemade the chance to open his account on the night, but got a negative response, prompting a heated exchange as the pair left the pitch at half-time.
Speaking afterwards Trippier, standing beside a smiling Gordon, told TNT Sports: "Obviously Gordy had scored a hat-trick and I think about other players and I wanted Nick to take the penalty.
"But also he [Gordon] is our penalty taker, so he wants to score goals, as everybody else does, but ultimately he's the penalty taker.
"Listen in football, emotions are high on the pitch at times, but it is what it is. He scored four goals, he was unbelievable today and now we move on." Gordon was equally placatory on a night when he extended his tally in this season's competition to 10 having started it level with Alan Shearer on a club-record six in a single campaign.
He said: "Listen, I understand everyone's opinion because I want everyone to succeed. We're a team, we should be in it together.
"But I'm an attacker, I'm the penalty taker, so I want to score as many goals as I possibly can. But understood everyone's opinion.
"Emotions do get high, but he [Trippier] is one of my closest team-mates, he has been since I joined the club. He's done so much for me, so he's all right." Gordon's feat - he is the first Newcastle player to score four goals in a Champions League game - was a source of personal pride, but he admitted a win which left the club with one foot in the last 16 and a showdown with either Barcelona or Chelsea was more important.
He said: "Records are nice, but I just want to score, I want to win games. Ultimately, we've won the game convincingly and I'd say it was our best performance this season, so that's more important than the goals." Trippier, who joked that the pair would don "boxing gloves in training", was equally happy with a fine display, but echoed head coach Eddie Howe's view that Newcastle cannot regard the tie as won as they prepare for next Tuesday night's second leg at St James' Park.
The full-back said: "You can't take anything for granted. I've played against Qarabag before, they drew 2-2 with Chelsea. We'll take it a game at a time.
"The schedule is relentless but there's no excuses from us because we've got another big game against Manchester City at the weekend."
Source: Qatar Tribune
