BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Anthony Gordon wrote his name into the Champions League history books on Wednesday night, scoring four sensational first-half goals as Newcastle United obliterated Qarabag 6-1 in the first leg of their knockout play-off tie at the Tofik Bakhramov Stadium.

The 24-year-old England forward needed just three minutes to open the scoring, setting the tone for a breathtaking evening in front of 28,861 stunned spectators. Gordon then converted a penalty in the 32nd minute before rounding the Qarabag goalkeeper barely 60 seconds later to complete the fastest hat trick ever recorded by an English player in Champions League history. He was not done there. A second penalty in first-half stoppage time gave him four goals before the break, making him only the second player ever to achieve the feat in the competition, after Luiz Adriano did so for Shakhtar Donetsk against BATE Borisov in October 2014.

Newcastle's dominance was relentless throughout the opening 45 minutes. Malick Thiaw also found the net to score his first Champions League goal for the club, as the Magpies raced into a commanding 5-0 lead at halftime. The Azerbaijani hosts managed a consolation through Elvin Cafarguliyev after the break, but Jacob Murphy restored the five-goal cushion late on with his own first Champions League goal, wrapping up a comprehensive 6-1 victory.

Gordon's extraordinary haul has propelled him past Newcastle legend Alan Shearer's long-standing record for the most goals scored by a Newcastle player in a single Champions League campaign. Shearer's mark of six, set during the club's memorable European runs of the late 1990s and early 2000s, had stood for over two decades. Gordon has now moved into second place in this season's Champions League scoring charts, trailing only Kylian Mbappe.

The performance caps a remarkable rise for Gordon, who has become one of the most dangerous forwards in European football this season. His ability to combine pace, clinical finishing, and intelligent movement was on full display in Baku, where Qarabag simply had no answer to his relentless attacking threat.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe will be delighted with the emphatic result, which all but secures the Magpies a place in the Champions League Round of 16. Eight teams, including Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Tottenham, Sporting CP, and Manchester City, have already qualified directly for the last 16 based on their league phase performances. Newcastle now need only to avoid a historic collapse in the second leg on February 24 at St. James' Park to join them.

The result stood in stark contrast to the evening's other standout match, where Galatasaray hammered 10-man Juventus 5-2 in Istanbul in another knockout play-off first leg. Elsewhere, Bodo/Glimt stunned Inter Milan 3-1, while Bayer Leverkusen earned a 2-0 win at Olympiacos.

For Newcastle, attention now turns to a blockbuster Premier League clash against title-chasing Manchester City on Saturday before the formality of the second leg next Tuesday. With Gordon in this kind of form, the Magpies will fancy their chances against anyone left in Europe's premier club competition.