Newcastle United’s star winger Anthony Gordon has been in stellar form for club and country, as he opened England’s score sheet and also won the Man of the Match for his performance.
Much like an old-fashioned winger, Gordon cut in from the left and powered a shot into the bottom left corner, placing it comfortably out of reach of the Latvian goalkeeper. His goal was only the beginning of the annihilation from England, who won the match 5-0 with goals from Harry Kane, Eberechi Eze and an own goal from Maksims Toņiševs.
However, after the amazing goal from the 24-year-old, he celebrated by making a sniper gun gesture, which has not gone down well with football fans. What further fuelled their anger was his disregard for some people and posting the celebration on social media.
Here are some of the reactions from fans criticising his celebration:
100% horrible celebration, needs to go back to badge kissing and making an A with his fingers
— Oga Physio (@OgaPhysio) October 15, 2025
Gun celebration and hair band ? pic.twitter.com/e18rzXAupk
— WokePodcast (@TheW0kePodcast) October 14, 2025
Give that celebration a rest please it looks atrocious
— ben (@bennufc_18) October 14, 2025
This was not the first time that Gordon was captured doing a gun celebration, as he has often celebrated his goals in the same way for almost two seasons.
Gordon has also gotten other iconic celebrations to his name, like his corner flag celebration against Arsenal, drawing parallels with Thierry Henry and his cartwheel celebration for England, which was dedicated to a young fan.
Amongst other prominent footballers who have also done a similar celebration are some of the game’s biggest names, including Phil Foden, Edin Dzeko, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Edinson Cavani and others.
While the world goes through a tough time regarding guns and violence, fans have often called such celebrations provocative. While there is no clear indication from Gordon’s end to confirm his intention behind the celebration, it could only be understood as a shot taken by a sniper on target.
A lot of fans drew parallels to recent gun violence incidents in the USA, where Charlie Kirk(a conservative political speaker) was assassinated by a sniper during a public event. Some also compared it to a general issue as multiple nations have conflicted with each other in the last three years, causing much despair to people due to guns.
Speaking after the game and his goal, Gordon remarked, “Amazing. It is something I have dreamed of as a kid. Probably didn’t hit me till I got into the changing room and saw everyone celebrating.”
Gordon has scored three times in the Champions League for the Magpies and has been a much more dependable player for his club after Alexander Isak’s departure. Despite there being huge competition for his place, Gordon has maintained his spot with the national team, resurging under Thomas Tuchel. They have managed a perfect win record under the new manager, winning all their 6 gams scoring 18 times, and yet to concede a single goal.
