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When Jose Mourinho arrived at St James' Park and praised Newcastle's coach and his squad, home fans were concerned about a difficult game. However those worries vanished thanks to a strike from Anthony Gordon and a brace from replacement Harvey Barnes, ensuring Benfica's coach did not inflict pain for Howe's team.

Match Flow and Initial Exchanges

The Benfica boss had forecast that the home side would be very physical, but his Benfica players showed their similar combative style. Benfica certainly delighted in breaking up the Magpies' early efforts to build a fluent attacking rhythm.

Adding to the home team's challenges, two players, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, began on the bench as they were convalescing from illness and injury each.

Prior to kick-off, the coaches shared a perfunctory, reserved greeting, and it quickly became clear that the Benfica coach had told his side to quiet the crowd by delaying the game and reducing the intensity at every chance.

Key Events and Decisive Actions

The visitors' tactic produced mixed results, but when Anthony Gordon and the Newcastle attack succeeded to dismantle the defensive barricades, they at first struggled to generate clear chances.

Moreover, Benfica's Belgium winger Lukebakio nearly demonstrated how to finish when, after beating the defender on the ground, he tested Nick Pope with a tremendous shot that got an terrific single-hand save. No wonder the goalkeeper retains hope for an England return in time for the World Cup.

But when the winger directed another attempt against the woodwork, the home side roused themselves. Jacob Murphy fired wide, and Benfica's keeper made an impressive close-range save from Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon finally opened the deadlock.

Gordon's scorching pace had created consternation for Mourinho all night, and he neatly slotted the first goal past Trubin after Murphy's quick ball into the area paid off.

When the Magpies' intense, pressing game was not anticipated by the opposition, Jacob Murphy, chosen over £55m Anthony Elanga, was there to deliver a ground cross across the face of goal for the winger to finish.

Later Stages and Match-Winning Changes

Right from the start, Benfica could not be blamed of defending deeply and seeking a point, but now Mourinho's side pushed forward with total freedom. Lukebakio repeatedly displayed an ability to unsettle Newcastle's back four, and the Magpies were probably grateful to regroup at the break.

The opening period ended with Pope once more saving his team by diverting Lukebakio's shot around the goal frame, and as the sides emerged for the second half, everything seemed evenly poised.

If Gordon, evidently buoyed by scoring his fourth goal in three European appearances this season, played with the zeal of a winger set to shift the power balance in his team's favor, Lukebakio had other ideas.

The manager's winger had previously emphasized that, while Burn is a fine centre-back, he is not a natural full-back, and Newcastle fans were in mouths every time Lukebakio moved forward.

The Newcastle manager might have relaxed had Miley, deputising for Sandro Tonali, not headed a set-piece above the crossbar from a good position. Instead, this thrilling game continued to swing from one goal to the other, persuading Newcastle's coach to bring on the midfielder and Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy.

Mourinho, meanwhile, threw on an additional striker in Franjo Ivanovic. It would arguably prove a risk that backfired.

Harvey Barnes Seals the Match

Until then, Benfica, and especially their Portugal back Antonio Silva, had performed a fine job in limiting Woltemade's room and forcing Newcastle's German centre-forward deep. But now, with defender Amar Dedic substituted, the backline was weakened, and the way was open for Barnes to show that Anthony Gordon is not the manager's only goal-scoring winger.

The home side's two changes was already proving effective by the time the goalkeeper sent a wonderful throw in Barnes's path. When Silva, on this occasion, misread the bounce, Barnes was away, accelerating into the penalty box before maintaining commendable poise to fire a superb shot past Trubin.

After Harvey Barnes rolled a shot through unfortunate the goalkeeper's feet after meeting Anthony Gordon's excellent through ball, it was all over. The Benfica manager had warned that Newcastle have four very fast wide attackers, and a trio of strikes from a pair of wide men had shattered his chances of securing Benfica's first Champions League points of the campaign.