Key stats
- Bayer Leverkusen are undefeated in their last three games in the Champions League, their last longer unbeaten streak was from 26th October 2022 to 23rd October 2024, a run of five games.
- Only Kylian Mbappé (nine) has been directly involved in more goals than Anthony Gordon (seven, five goals, two assists) in the Champions League this season.
- Five of Anthony Gordon's last six goals for Newcastle have been a penalty, with just three of his first 23 goals for the club coming via the penalty spot.
Highlights
Analysis
Alejandro Grimaldo's equalising goal earned him the highest Flashscore rating of the match (8.4), narrowly ahead of Anthony Gordon who both scored and assisted against Leverkusen. It was Gordon's second assist and fifth goal in the Champions League this season.
Match report
With just a point separating the two sides ahead of kick-off, it was a lively start to the game as both teams went in pursuit of an early breakthrough.
Having seen Mark Flekken thwart a low effort from Harvey Barnes inside five minutes, it was Leverkusen who took the lead shortly after when Robert Andrich’s header at the back post deflected off Bruno Guimarães and beyond a helpless Aaron Ramsdale, marking the first goal Newcastle had conceded before HT in this season’s UCL.
Armed with the momentum, the hosts thought they’d been awarded a penalty in the 21st minute when Malick Thiaw pulled back a marauding Patrik Schick, only for referee Serdar Gözübüyük to deem the foul had taken place marginally outside the box.
Grateful for that narrow escape, Newcastle looked to gain a foothold in the contest before HT, but it was Die Werkself who continued to threaten in the final third, with Jarell Quansah seeing a powerful strike tipped over by Ramsdale.
Having picked up seven wins from their last 11 outings across all competitions (D1, L3), the in-form visitors upped the ante at the start of the second period, and were given a golden opportunity to draw level when Flekken clumsily fouled Nick Woltemade in the box.
Anthony Gordon assumed the responsibility from the spot, and the Englishman clinically dispatched the penalty into the bottom-left corner, with his third spot-kick in as many games restoring parity.
That set up a fascinating final half-hour in North Rhine-Westphalia, with Gordon powering a low effort against the post, while at the other end, Ernest Poku blazed wastefully over after a promising counter-attack.
Chances continued to flow for both sides, and it was Newcastle who took the lead in the 74th minute when Gordon’s inch-perfect delivery was coolly headed home by substitute Lewis Miley.
The Magpies looked to press home their advantage, as Thiaw saw a close-range header superbly saved by Flekken and Jacob Murphy fired a powerful strike against the base of the post.
Those missed chances proved to be costly, with Leverkusen drawing level in the 88th minute after neat link-up between Aleix Garcia and Ibrahim Maza set up Grimaldo for a composed finish. That moment of quality secured a crucial point for Die Werkself, keeping their hopes of a top-eight finish alive, while Newcastle missed the chance to rise as high as sixth in the table.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)
Click here to see all the stats of the match.
Post-match reaction
Newcastle goalscorer Anthony Gordon lamented his side's late collapse to Leverkusen.
He told TNT Sports: "I don't know (how they let three points slip away) but it's happening too many times, to be honest.
"The first half an hour was really poor but we reacted well and we came out well in the second half. The manager gave us a kick up the backside and we reacted well.
"Defensively we need to be more tight because we are conceding too many goals late in games. I don't know if that is fatigue, but it all comes back to mentality. We have to hold out in these games because that is what top teams do."
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said to TNT Sports: "It was a tough game. I thought we played well but it was tough for us.
"I wasn't happy at half-time, not so much with the performance but there was a real lack of belief that we could score. You have to make things happen and really believe internally. Off the ball, we were getting close to them but not in that final yard."