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As Jose Mourinho arrived at Newcastle's stadium and praised Newcastle's coach and his squad, home fans feared a tough match. But those worries disappeared due to a strike from Anthony Gordon and a brace from replacement Harvey Barnes, making sure the visitors' new manager would not cause any trouble for Howe's team.

Game Dynamics and Early Exchanges

The Benfica boss had forecast that Newcastle would be extremely aggressive, but his Benfica players showed their similar combative style. Benfica certainly enjoyed disrupting Newcastle's early efforts to build a smooth attacking tempo.

Compounding the home team's issues, two players, Tonali and Joelinton, started on the bench as they were convalescing from illness and injury respectively.

Prior to kick-off, the two managers exchanged a perfunctory, cool greeting, and it soon became clear that the Benfica coach had told his side to subdue the home fans by delaying Newcastle and reducing the intensity at every chance.

Critical Events and Turning Points

Benfica's tactic yielded mixed results, but when Anthony Gordon and his teammates managed to dismantle the defensive barricades, they at first found it hard to generate good opportunities.

Moreover, Benfica's Belgian winger Dodi Lukebakio nearly showed scoring skill when, after leaving the defender on the ground, he tested Newcastle's keeper with a powerful shot that required an excellent single-hand save. It's no surprise the goalkeeper still hopes for an national team return in time for the global tournament.

But when Lukebakio directed a further attempt off the woodwork, the home side woke up. Jacob Murphy fired wide, and Anatoliy Trubin made an impressive near-post stop from Bruno Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon at last broke the deadlock.

The England winger's blazing speed had created consternation for Mourinho all evening, and he neatly side-footed the first goal past Trubin after his teammate's quick cross into the area paid off.

When the Magpies' hard, high press was not second-guessed by the opposition, Murphy, preferred over £55m Anthony Elanga, was available to pass a ground ball across the face of goal for the winger to polish off.

Second Half and Match-Winning Changes

Right from the start, the Portuguese team could not be accused of defending deeply and playing for a draw, but now Mourinho's players attacked with total abandon. The winger consistently displayed an skill to unsettle Newcastle's back four, and the Magpies were probably relieved to reset at the break.

The opening period concluded with Pope again rescuing his side by diverting Lukebakio's left-foot around the post, and as the sides emerged for the next period, everything seemed evenly balanced.

While Anthony Gordon, clearly boosted by scoring his fourth strike in three Champions League appearances this season, played with the determination of a wide player set to shift the balance in his team's direction, the Benfica attacker had different ideas.

The manager's No 11 had already emphasized that, while Dan Burn is a fine centre-back, he is not a born left-back, and Newcastle fans were nervous every time Lukebakio advanced.

The Newcastle manager might have relaxed had Miley, deputising for Sandro Tonali, not directed a set-piece over the bar from a well-placed spot. Rather, this thrilling contest continued to move from one goal to the other, persuading the coach to bring on Joelinton and Harvey Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy.

Mourinho, at the same time, threw on an extra striker in Franjo Ivanovic. This would perhaps prove a risk that backfired.

Barnes Wins the Game

Until then, the away team, and especially their Portuguese defender Silva, had performed a fine job in limiting Woltemade's room and forcing Newcastle's German centre-forward deep. However, with right-back Amar Dedic off, the backline was underpowered, and the way was clear for Barnes to show that Gordon is not Howe's only goal-scoring wide player.

Newcastle's two changes was already proving effective by the time the goalkeeper dispatched a superb long throw in Barnes's path. When Silva, on this occasion, misjudged the flight, the winger was clear, sprinting into the area before maintaining impressive composure to fire a sublime strike past Trubin.

When Harvey Barnes rolled a shot through poor Trubin's feet after meeting Anthony Gordon's stellar through ball, it was finished. The Benfica manager had cautioned that Newcastle have several very fast wide attackers, and a trio of strikes from two wingers had shattered his chances of earning the team's first European points of the season.