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When the Benfica manager arrived at St James' Park and praised Eddie Howe and his players, local supporters were concerned about a difficult game. However those worries vanished due to a goal from the winger and a brace from substitute the forward, ensuring Benfica's coach would not cause pain for Howe's team.

Match Flow and Early Action

Mourinho had predicted that Newcastle would be very physical, but his own team displayed their own aggressive approach. The visitors clearly delighted in disrupting Newcastle's early efforts to build a fluent attacking rhythm.

Adding to the home team's issues, two players, Sandro Tonali and the Brazilian, began on the bench as they continued convalescing from illness and a knock respectively.

Before kick-off, the coaches exchanged a brief, cool greeting, and it soon became apparent that the Benfica coach had told his side to subdue the crowd by delaying the game and lowering the intensity whenever possible.

Critical Events and Turning Points

The visitors' strategy produced mixed results, but when Anthony Gordon and his teammates succeeded to dismantle the defensive barricades, they initially found it hard to create clear chances.

Additionally, the Belgian attacker Lukebakio almost demonstrated scoring skill when, after beating Dan Burn behind, he tested Nick Pope with a powerful shot that got an excellent single-hand save. It's no surprise the goalkeeper retains hope for an national team return in time for the World Cup.

Yet when the winger hit a further attempt off the woodwork, Newcastle woke up. Jacob Murphy fired wide, and Benfica's keeper made an impressive near-post save from Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon finally broke the scoreless tie.

The England winger's blazing speed had caused problems for the Benfica coach all night, and he neatly side-footed the first goal past the goalkeeper after his teammate's early cross into the box paid off.

When the Magpies' hard, pressing game was not second-guessed by Benfica, Jacob Murphy, chosen over the expensive signing, was available to pass a low cross across the goal for the winger to polish off.

Later Stages and Decisive Substitutions

From the beginning, the Portuguese team could not be blamed of parking the bus and seeking a point, but now Mourinho's players pushed forward with total freedom. Lukebakio consistently displayed an ability to destabilize Howe's defense, and the Magpies were probably grateful to reset at half-time.

The opening period concluded with Pope once more rescuing his team by diverting Lukebakio's shot wide of the post, and as the teams came out for the next period, everything seemed finely poised.

If Gordon, clearly buoyed by scoring his fourth strike in three European games this campaign, played with the determination of a winger set to shift the power balance in his team's direction, Lukebakio had other ideas.

The manager's No 11 had previously emphasized that, while Burn is a fine central defender, he is not a born left-back, and home hearts were in mouths every time he advanced.

The Newcastle manager might have relaxed had Lewis Miley, filling in for Sandro Tonali, not headed a set-piece over the crossbar from a good spot. Instead, this thrilling contest continued to swing from one goal to the other, persuading the manager to introduce the midfielder and Harvey Barnes in place of Ramsey and Murphy.

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

Harvey Barnes Wins the Game

Before that, Benfica, and especially their Portugal defender Antonio Silva, had performed a fine job in limiting Woltemade's space and forcing Newcastle's Germany striker deep. However, with defender Amar Dedic substituted, the defense was underpowered, and the way was clear for Barnes to prove that Gordon is not Howe's only goal-scoring winger.

Newcastle's double substitution was already proving effective by the time Pope sent a superb long throw in the substitute's direction. When Silva, for once, misread the bounce, Barnes was clear, accelerating into the area before maintaining impressive composure to lash a sublime strike past the keeper.

After Barnes slid a shot through poor the goalkeeper's feet after meeting Gordon's stellar through ball, it was all over. Mourinho had cautioned that the Magpies have four quick wide attackers, and a trio of strikes from two wide men had destroyed his hopes of earning Benfica's first Champions League result of the campaign.