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When Jose Mourinho arrived at Newcastle's stadium and complimented Newcastle's coach and his squad, home supporters were concerned about a tough game. However those worries disappeared thanks to a strike from Anthony Gordon and a brace from substitute the forward, ensuring the visitors' coach did not inflict pain for Newcastle.

Match Flow and Initial Exchanges

The Benfica boss had forecast that Newcastle would be extremely aggressive, but his own team showed their similar combative style. The visitors certainly enjoyed disrupting Newcastle's early efforts to establish a fluent attacking tempo.

Compounding the home team's challenges, key players, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, began on the bench as they were recovering from illness and a knock each.

Before the start, the coaches shared a brief, cool embrace, and it soon became clear that the Benfica coach had instructed his side to subdue the home fans by delaying the game and lowering the temperature whenever possible.

Key Events and Decisive Actions

Benfica's tactic produced mixed results, but when Anthony Gordon and his teammates managed to dismantle the backline, they at first struggled to generate clear opportunities.

Moreover, Benfica's Belgian attacker Dodi Lukebakio nearly demonstrated how to finish when, after leaving the defender behind, he forced Newcastle's keeper with a powerful shot that got an excellent single-hand stop. It's no surprise the goalkeeper still hopes for an England return in time for the global tournament.

Yet when the winger hit a further attempt off the woodwork, the home side roused themselves. Murphy shot wide, and Anatoliy Trubin made an impressive near-post save from Guimaraes before Gordon finally opened the scoreless tie.

The England winger's scorching pace had caused problems for the Benfica coach all evening, and he neatly side-footed the first goal past Trubin after his teammate's quick cross into the area proved effective.

When the Magpies' hard, pressing game was not second-guessed by Benfica, Jacob Murphy, chosen over the expensive signing, was there to deliver a ground cross across the face of goal for the winger to polish off.

Second Half and Decisive Changes

From the beginning, Benfica could not be accused of defending deeply and playing for a draw, but now their side pushed forward with total abandon. The winger repeatedly displayed an skill to unsettle Newcastle's back four, and the Magpies were likely relieved to regroup at half-time.

The first half ended with the keeper once more rescuing his side by diverting Lukebakio's shot wide of the post, and as the sides emerged for the next period, the match seemed finely poised.

If Anthony Gordon, evidently boosted by netting his fourth goal in three Champions League games this season, played with the determination of a winger aiming to alter the balance in his team's direction, Lukebakio had different plans.

Mourinho's No 11 had previously shown that, while Dan Burn is a fine central defender, he is not a natural left-back, and home fans were in mouths every time he advanced.

Howe might have felt easier had Lewis Miley, filling in for Tonali, not directed a corner above the crossbar from a good position. Instead, this thrilling game continued to swing from end to end, persuading the coach to bring on Joelinton and Barnes in place of Ramsey and Murphy.

The Benfica boss, at the same time, threw on an additional forward in Franjo Ivanovic. This would perhaps prove a risk that backfired.

Harvey Barnes Wins the Match

Before that, Benfica, and in particular their Portugal defender Antonio Silva, had performed a fine job in limiting Nick Woltemade's space and forcing the Germany striker deep. However, with right-back Amar Dedic off, the backline was weakened, and the way was open for Harvey Barnes to prove that Anthony Gordon is not Howe's only attacking winger.

The home side's two changes was already proving effective by the time the goalkeeper dispatched a wonderful throw in the substitute's path. When Silva, on this occasion, misread the bounce, the winger was clear, sprinting into the area before maintaining impressive poise to lash a superb strike past Trubin.

When Barnes slid a shot through poor the goalkeeper's legs after meeting Gordon's stellar pass, it was finished. Mourinho had warned that Newcastle have four very fast wingers, and three goals from a pair of wingers had shattered his hopes of earning the team's first European result of the season.