Newcastle United well represented as ESPN name Best Champions League XI of league phase
Newcastle United missed out on automatic qualification to the Champions League knock-out phase by one point last night after picking up a draw away to Paris Saint-Germain.
The fact that Newcastle were even in with a shout of a top-eight finish is testament to just how well Eddie Howe's lads have done this season in Europe's premier competition.
It's not as if they had an easy run, either, and we believe that's likely why ESPN have named so many Newcastle United players in their picks for the Best XI of the League Phase.
While only one made it into the actual XI, there were a couple of Toon players who just missed out and got honourable mentions.
Anthony Gordon made it into ESPN's Champions League Best XI of the League Phase
Unsurprisingly, Anthony Gordon got the nod as Newcastle's sole representative in the XI after some superb performances in the competition and the sheer number of goal contributions he managed in the League phase.
"Left wing: Anthony Gordon, Newcastle. Only Kylian Mbappe (13) has produced more combined goals and assists in this competition than Gordon (eight). He all but declared the Champions League more fun than the Premier League in a recent interview, and he certainly seems to be enjoying himself on European nights."
Last night, Gordon came off the bench in the second half and caused PSG no end of problems. It's definitely his competition.
ESPN gave Newcastle United a B+ grade for their efforts
Elsewhere, Newcastle defenders Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn just missed out on selection for Right Back and Central Defence, respectively.
Newcastle's ageing defenders have shown this season that age is but a number, and they've been doing it at the highest level.
ESPN also graded each club's performance in the first phase of the competition, handing Newcastle a B+ rating.
Newcastle United
Points: 14 | Initial projection: 12.5 | Difference: +1.5
Arsenal and Tottenham were responsible for most of the Premier League's league-phase overachievement, but Newcastle handled their business nicely, suffering a misstep at Marseille and losing a tossup against Barcelona but otherwise going unbeaten. Anthony Gordon has been excellent up front, and aside from the Marseille match, the defense was outstanding too.
