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As Jose Mourinho came at Newcastle's stadium and praised Newcastle's coach and his squad, home fans were concerned about a tough game. But those fears vanished thanks to a goal from Anthony Gordon and a brace from replacement Harvey Barnes, ensuring the visitors' new manager did not inflict any trouble for Howe's team.

Game Dynamics and Early Action

The Benfica boss had predicted that Newcastle would be extremely aggressive, but his Benfica players displayed their own aggressive style. The visitors clearly enjoyed disrupting Newcastle's initial efforts to establish a fluent attacking tempo.

Compounding Newcastle's challenges, key players, Tonali and the Brazilian, started as substitutes as they were convalescing from sickness and a knock respectively.

Before the start, the two managers shared a perfunctory, cool greeting, and it quickly became apparent that Mourinho had told his team to subdue the crowd by delaying Newcastle and reducing the temperature at every chance.

Key Moments and Turning Points

Benfica's strategy yielded varied outcomes, but when Anthony Gordon and the Newcastle attack succeeded to dismantle Benfica's defensive barricades, they initially found it hard to create good opportunities.

Additionally, Benfica's Belgian attacker Lukebakio nearly demonstrated how to finish when, after leaving Dan Burn behind, he forced Newcastle's keeper with a powerful shot that got an terrific one-handed stop. It's no surprise Pope retains hope for an national team recall in time for the global tournament.

But when Lukebakio directed another shot off the woodwork, Newcastle roused themselves. Jacob Murphy fired wide, and Anatoliy Trubin made an excellent close-range save from Guimaraes before Gordon finally opened the scoreless tie.

Gordon's scorching speed had created problems for Mourinho all night, and he calmly side-footed the opener past the goalkeeper after Murphy's quick ball into the area paid off.

On the occasion Newcastle's hard, high press was not second-guessed by Benfica, Jacob Murphy, preferred over £55m Anthony Elanga, was available to pass a ground cross across the face of goal for the winger to finish.

Later Stages and Decisive Changes

From the beginning, Benfica could not be blamed of parking the bus and playing for a draw, but now Mourinho's players attacked with real freedom. The winger repeatedly displayed an ability to destabilize Howe's back four, and the home team were likely grateful to reset at the break.

The first half ended with Pope again saving his side by diverting the attacker's left-foot around the post, and as the sides came out for the next period, everything seemed finely balanced.

While Anthony Gordon, clearly boosted by netting his fourth goal in three European games this campaign, played with the determination of a winger aiming to alter the power balance in his team's direction, Lukebakio had different plans.

The manager's No 11 had previously emphasized that, while Burn is a capable central defender, he is not a born full-back, and home hearts were in mouths every time Lukebakio moved forward.

Howe might have felt easier had Lewis Miley, filling in for Tonali, not directed a corner above the bar from a well-placed spot. Rather, this thrilling game continued to move from end to end, persuading the manager to introduce Joelinton and Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Murphy.

The Benfica boss, at the same time, brought on an extra forward in Ivanovic. It would arguably prove a gamble that backfired.

Harvey Barnes Wins the Match

Until then, the away team, and in particular their Portugal back Antonio Silva, had done a fine job in restricting Nick Woltemade's room and pushing Newcastle's German centre-forward deep. However, with right-back Dedic substituted, the backline was weakened, and the way was open for Barnes to prove that Gordon is not the manager's only goal-scoring wide player.

Newcastle's double substitution was already paying off by the time the goalkeeper sent a wonderful throw in the substitute's path. When Antonio Silva, on this occasion, misread the bounce, Barnes was clear, sprinting into the penalty box before maintaining impressive composure to fire a superb shot past the keeper.

After Harvey Barnes rolled a shot through poor Trubin's legs after receiving Gordon's stellar pass, it was all over. Mourinho had cautioned that Newcastle have several quick wingers, and three goals from a pair of wingers had destroyed his hopes of securing Benfica's first Champions League points of the season.