🔗 Share this article

When Jose Mourinho arrived at Newcastle's stadium and praised Newcastle's coach and his squad, home fans were concerned about a difficult game. However those worries vanished thanks to a goal from Anthony Gordon and a brace from substitute Harvey Barnes, ensuring the visitors' coach would not cause pain for Howe's team.

Game Dynamics and Early Action

Mourinho had predicted that the home side would be extremely aggressive, but his Benfica players displayed their similar aggressive style. The visitors certainly enjoyed disrupting the Magpies' early attempts to establish a fluent passing tempo.

Compounding Newcastle's issues, key midfielders, Sandro Tonali and the Brazilian, began as substitutes as they were convalescing from illness and a knock respectively.

Prior to the start, the coaches exchanged a perfunctory, cool embrace, and it quickly became apparent that Mourinho had instructed his team to subdue the home fans by delaying Newcastle and lowering the temperature at every chance.

Key Events and Turning Points

The visitors' strategy yielded varied results, but when Gordon and his teammates managed to dismantle the backline, they at first struggled to create clear chances.

Additionally, the Belgian attacker Dodi Lukebakio almost showed scoring skill when, after beating the defender behind, he tested Nick Pope with a tremendous shot that required an terrific single-hand save. No wonder Pope still hopes for an England return in time for the World Cup.

Yet when the winger directed a further attempt off the woodwork, Newcastle roused themselves. Murphy shot off target, and Anatoliy Trubin made an excellent close-range stop from Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon at last opened the deadlock.

Gordon's blazing speed had created problems for the Benfica coach all night, and he calmly side-footed the opener past the goalkeeper after Murphy's quick cross into the box paid off.

On the occasion the Magpies' hard, high press was not second-guessed by Benfica, Murphy, chosen over £55m Anthony Elanga, was available to pass a low cross across the face of goal for Gordon to finish.

Second Half and Decisive Changes

Right from the start, Benfica could not be accused of parking the bus and playing for a draw, but now their side pushed forward with total freedom. The winger repeatedly displayed an skill to unsettle Howe's back four, and the home team were probably relieved to regroup at half-time.

The opening period concluded with the keeper again rescuing his team by tipping Lukebakio's shot wide of the post, and as the teams came out for the next period, the match seemed evenly balanced.

While Gordon, evidently buoyed by scoring his fourth strike in three Champions League appearances this campaign, played with the zeal of a winger aiming to alter the power balance in his team's favor, Lukebakio had different ideas.

Mourinho's winger had already emphasized that, while Dan Burn is a fine central defender, he is not a natural full-back, and Newcastle fans were nervous every time he moved forward.

The Newcastle manager might have felt easier had Lewis Miley, deputising for Sandro Tonali, not headed a corner above the bar from a good position. Rather, this absorbing contest continued to swing from one goal to the other, prompting the manager to bring on the midfielder and Barnes in place of Ramsey and Murphy.

Mourinho, at the same time, brought on an extra forward in Franjo Ivanovic. It would arguably prove a gamble too far.

Harvey Barnes Wins the Game

Until then, Benfica, and in particular their Portuguese defender Silva, had performed a fine job in restricting Nick Woltemade's space and forcing Newcastle's German striker back. But now, with right-back Dedic off, the backline was weakened, and the path was clear for Barnes to show that Anthony Gordon is not the manager's only attacking wide player.

The home side's two changes was already paying off by the time Pope sent a superb long throw in Barnes's direction. When Antonio Silva, on this occasion, misjudged the bounce, the winger was away, accelerating into the penalty box before maintaining impressive poise to lash a superb strike past the keeper.

When Barnes slid a low effort through poor Trubin's feet after meeting Gordon's excellent through ball, it was all over. Mourinho had warned that Newcastle have several very fast wingers, and a trio of strikes from two wide men had shattered his chances of earning the team's first Champions League points of the campaign.