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When the Benfica manager came at St James' Park and praised Newcastle's coach and his players, local supporters feared a tough match. But such worries vanished thanks to a strike from the winger and a brace from substitute Harvey Barnes, making sure the visitors' coach did not inflict any trouble for Howe's team.

Game Flow and Initial Action

The Benfica boss had predicted that Newcastle would be extremely aggressive, but his own team displayed their similar combative approach. The visitors certainly delighted in disrupting the Magpies' initial efforts to build a fluent passing tempo.

Compounding Newcastle's challenges, key midfielders, Tonali and the Brazilian, started as substitutes as they continued recovering from sickness and a knock each.

Prior to the start, the coaches exchanged a perfunctory, cool greeting, and it quickly became apparent that Mourinho had told his team to quiet the crowd by delaying Newcastle and lowering the temperature at every chance.

Critical Moments and Decisive Actions

Benfica's strategy yielded mixed results, but when Gordon and his teammates managed to dismantle the backline, they at first found it hard to generate good chances.

Moreover, Benfica's Belgian attacker Lukebakio nearly showed scoring skill when, after leaving the defender on the ground, he tested Newcastle's keeper with a tremendous shot that required an terrific one-handed stop. No wonder the goalkeeper retains hope for an national team recall in time for the World Cup.

Yet when the winger directed another attempt off the post, Newcastle woke up. Murphy fired wide, and Benfica's keeper made an excellent close-range save from Guimaraes before Gordon finally opened the deadlock.

Gordon's blazing speed had created consternation for the Benfica coach all night, and he neatly side-footed the first goal past Trubin after his teammate's early ball into the area paid off.

When Newcastle's hard, pressing game was not second-guessed by the opposition, Murphy, chosen over the expensive signing, was available to deliver a ground cross across the face of goal for Gordon to polish off.

Second Half and Decisive Substitutions

Right from the start, Benfica could not be accused of defending deeply and seeking a point, but now their side pushed forward with real abandon. The winger consistently showed an ability to unsettle Howe's back four, and the Magpies were probably relieved to regroup at the break.

The first half ended with the keeper again saving his side by tipping the attacker's left-foot wide of the goal frame, and as the sides emerged for the next period, everything seemed evenly balanced.

If Gordon, evidently boosted by netting his fourth strike in three Champions League games this campaign, played with the zeal of a winger aiming to alter the power balance in Newcastle's favor, Lukebakio had different plans.

The manager's No 11 had previously emphasized that, while Dan Burn is a fine centre-back, he is not a natural left-back, and Newcastle fans were nervous every time he advanced.

Howe might have relaxed had Miley, filling in for Tonali, not headed a set-piece over the crossbar from a good position. Rather, this absorbing game continued to swing from one goal to the other, persuading the manager to bring on Joelinton and Barnes in place of Ramsey and Murphy.

Mourinho, at the same time, threw on an additional forward in Franjo Ivanovic. This would perhaps prove a risk too far.

Barnes Seals the Game

Until then, the away team, and especially their Portugal defender Silva, had done a fine job in limiting Woltemade's room and pushing Newcastle's German striker back. But now, with right-back Dedic substituted, the defense was underpowered, and the way was clear for Barnes to prove that Gordon is not the manager's only attacking winger.

Newcastle's two changes was already proving effective by the time the goalkeeper sent a superb throw in the substitute's direction. When Antonio Silva, on this occasion, misread the bounce, the winger was away, sprinting into the penalty box before keeping impressive composure to fire a superb shot past Trubin.

When Barnes slid a shot through poor the goalkeeper's feet after meeting Anthony Gordon's stellar pass, it was all over. Mourinho had warned that the Magpies have four very fast wingers, and three goals from two wide men had destroyed his hopes of securing Benfica's first Champions League points of the season.