Anthony Gordon delivered a performance for the ages on Tuesday night in Baku, scoring four goals in a breathtaking first half as Newcastle United dismantled Qarabag 6-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off.

The 24-year-old forward wasted no time making his mark at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, opening the scoring in just the third minute to set the tone for a dominant evening. Malick Thiaw doubled Newcastle's advantage five minutes later with his first Champions League goal for the club, and from that point on, the floodgates opened.

Gordon stepped up to convert a penalty in the 32nd minute before rounding the Qarabag goalkeeper barely a minute later to complete a hat-trick in just 33 minutes, the fastest by an Englishman in Champions League history. The former Everton winger was not done yet, converting another penalty in first-half stoppage time to take his personal tally to four before the break.

In doing so, Gordon became only the second player ever to score four goals in the first half of a Champions League match, and the first to achieve the feat in the knockout stages of the competition. His haul took his overall Champions League goal tally to ten, a remarkable return for a player competing in only his second European campaign.

Newcastle scored five times in a stunning opening 45 minutes that left Qarabag shell-shocked. The Azerbaijani side managed a consolation goal but could do little to stem the tide of a Magpies side playing with supreme confidence on the European stage.

Jacob Murphy added his first ever Champions League goal in the closing stages to complete the rout at 6-1, putting Newcastle in a commanding position ahead of the second leg at St. James' Park on Tuesday, February 24.

The result capped a magnificent week of Champions League knockout phase play-off action that also saw Galatasaray stun Juventus 5-2 in Istanbul, with the Turkish giants coming from 2-1 down at half-time to score four in the second period after Juan Cabal was sent off for two yellow cards. Noa Lang scored twice in a devastating second-half display for the hosts.

Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund defeated Atalanta 2-0, Paris Saint-Germain edged Monaco 3-2 in an all-French affair, Real Madrid won 1-0 at Benfica, and Bayer Leverkusen dispatched Olympiacos 2-0. In the most dramatic match of the other evening, Club Brugge and Atletico de Madrid played out a 3-3 thriller, while Bodo/Glimt pulled off a shock 3-1 victory over Inter Milan.

For Newcastle, the emphatic victory in Baku underlines their growing stature on the continental stage. Eddie Howe's side have proven themselves capable of competing with the best in Europe, and Gordon's individual brilliance has announced him as one of the most dangerous forwards in the Champions League.

Attention now turns to the Premier League, where Newcastle face title-chasing Manchester City on Saturday evening before completing the formality of the second leg against Qarabag. With a five-goal cushion in hand, the Magpies can look forward to a place in the round of 16 draw, scheduled for February 27, with growing optimism that their European adventure has only just begun.