Aston Villa star leaps to defence of Anthony Gordon after Newcastle United draw with Everton

Anthony Gordon was booed by Everton fans on his return to Goodison Park and he then missed a penalty in Newcastle's goalless draw with the Toffees

Aston Villa star Amadou Onana has shown his support for ex Everton teammate Anthony Gordon after the latter missed a penalty for Newcastle. The pair used to play together at Goodison Park, but have since moved on.

Gordon, who made a controversial £45 million switch to St James' Park in January 2023, was met with a frosty reception upon his return to his old stomping ground with Newcastle. Despite a rocky start at his new club, Gordon has emerged as a key figure in Eddie Howe's squad and even earned a spot in the England team for the European championships.

He netted a vital penalty in Newcastle's 1-1 draw against Manchester City last week, but failed to repeat the feat against Everton on Saturday, much to the delight of the home crowd. His miss proved pivotal as the match ended in a stalemate.

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Following the game, Gordon took to Instagram to express his disappointment, writing: "A great performance, just couldn't put them away, and that's on me," and "Never easy missing but you'll never ever see me shy away from stepping up for my team. Thanks to everyone that travelled – till next time."

Among those responding was Onana, who simply posted a red heart emoji.

Everton faced backlash for a controversial social media post, which was met with a wave of support from fans. The club's official account had replied to a fan with a clip of Anthony Gordon's penalty miss, accompanied by the infamous buzzer sound from the TV show 'Family Fortunes'.

Jamie Carragher and ex-Everton medical director Dan Donachie were among the critics, with Donachie slamming the post as "disgraceful".

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