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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 tough game. However such fears disappeared due to a strike from Anthony Gordon and two more from replacement Harvey Barnes, making sure Benfica's new manager would not cause any trouble for Howe's team.

Game Flow and Early Exchanges

The Benfica boss had forecast that the home side would be extremely aggressive, but his own team showed their own combative approach. The visitors clearly delighted in disrupting Newcastle's initial efforts to build a fluent attacking tempo.

Adding to Newcastle's challenges, two midfielders, Tonali and Joelinton, began on the bench as they were convalescing from sickness and a knock respectively.

Prior to kick-off, the coaches exchanged a perfunctory, reserved embrace, and it soon became apparent that Mourinho had told his team to subdue the crowd by delaying Newcastle and lowering the temperature whenever possible.

Critical Events and Decisive Actions

Benfica's tactic produced varied outcomes, but when Gordon and his teammates succeeded to break through Benfica's backline, they at first struggled to create clear opportunities.

Moreover, the Belgium winger Lukebakio almost demonstrated how to finish when, after leaving Dan Burn on the ground, he forced Newcastle's keeper with a powerful strike that got an terrific one-handed stop. No wonder Pope still hopes for an England return in time for the global tournament.

Yet when the winger hit another shot off the post, Newcastle woke up. Jacob Murphy shot wide, and Benfica's keeper made an excellent near-post save from Bruno Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon finally opened the deadlock.

Gordon's scorching speed had created problems for the Benfica coach all night, and he neatly slotted the opener past the goalkeeper after his teammate's early ball into the box proved effective.

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

Later Stages and Match-Winning Substitutions

Right from the start, the Portuguese team could not be blamed of defending deeply and seeking a point, but now Mourinho's players attacked with real freedom. Lukebakio repeatedly displayed an ability to unsettle Howe's defense, and the Magpies were probably relieved to regroup at half-time.

The opening period concluded with Pope again saving his team by tipping the attacker's shot around the goal frame, and as the sides came out for the second half, the match seemed finely poised.

If Anthony Gordon, evidently boosted by scoring his fourth strike in three Champions League games this season, played with the zeal of a winger set to shift the power balance in his team's favor, the Benfica attacker had other ideas.

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

Howe might have relaxed had Miley, filling in for Tonali, not directed a corner above the crossbar from a good position. Rather, this absorbing contest continued to swing from one goal to the other, prompting Newcastle's manager to bring on the midfielder and Barnes in place of Ramsey and Jacob Murphy.

Mourinho, at the same time, threw on an additional striker in Franjo Ivanovic. This would arguably prove a gamble too far.

Barnes Seals the Game

Before that, Benfica, and in particular their Portugal defender Antonio Silva, had performed a good job in limiting Nick Woltemade's room and pushing Newcastle's Germany centre-forward back. However, with defender Amar Dedic substituted, the defense was underpowered, and the way was open for Barnes to show that Anthony Gordon is not Howe's only attacking winger.

Newcastle's two changes was already proving effective by the time Pope dispatched a wonderful long throw in Barnes's path. When Antonio Silva, on this occasion, misjudged the bounce, the winger was away, sprinting into the penalty box before maintaining impressive composure to lash a superb shot past Trubin.

When Barnes rolled a low effort through unfortunate Trubin's legs after receiving Anthony Gordon's stellar through ball, it was finished. Mourinho had cautioned that Newcastle have four very fast wingers, and three goals from a pair of wide men had shattered his hopes of securing Benfica's first European points of the season.