It was a night for England definites and England wannabes in the North East on a night of real, Champions League triumph. Newcastle United are seventh in the Champions League table. This is what they danced in streets of Tyneside for when the club was taken over four years ago.
First, there was Anthony Gordon, a starter now for Thomas Tuchel before the World Cup next summer. He scored one and set up another. Then came Nick Pope, the 33-year-old goalkeeper refusing to give up on an unlikely dream. And finally Harvey Barnes, a player last capped in 2020 who could still theoretically play for Scotland. He scored twice, having come off the bench, to seal victory.
The hug at full-time from José Mourinho, beaten once more at St James’ Park, was for Gordon, with some words of wisdom. Mourinho would call him the game’s best player afterwards, and rightly so. He has gone from a bit-part player under Gareth Southgate to the joint top English scorer in the Champions League, along with Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford. Only Kylian Mbappé has scored more than his four in this year’s competition.
More than the goal that ended a run of three consecutive home defeats in the Champions League for Newcastle, was the dynamic play of the 24-year-old. He was electric at times, direct, driving and a menace to Amar Dedic to such an extent that the right back was withdrawn just past the hour.
“Anthony played very direct, and athletically he was excellent,” said Eddie Howe. “He put a big effort in on and off the ball. It was a good night for him.”
It was a good night for Newcastle, but not for Mourinho, who has called himself a little Magpie in the past, for his relationship with the club through Sir Bobby Robson, the man who opened what he called a big door to an incredible career in management.
Perhaps he is changing, for Benfica sought victory, or perhaps that was through necessity. They have played three and lost three.
Barnes celebrates scoring the first of his two goals
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER BRADLEY ORMESHER
They had struck the woodwork before Gordon’s opening goal, through the excellent Dodi Lukébakio, “a beautiful shot”, said Mourinho. They were good in the first half but increasingly overpowered in the second.
“This tells me about the level of Newcastle, with an engine with more horsepower, more intensity and more speed,” added Mourinho.
And also with more throwing power. Pope’s relationship with the Newcastle fans is slightly curious, given that this was his seventh clean sheet of the season. He spoke before the game about the desire for a third World Cup appearance next summer. He made two fine saves in the first half but three times misplaced passes, one which went out for a corner. It drew groans.
Then in the 70th minute he took a routine catch, after a Benfica free-kick, and immediately turned defence into attack as he ran forward in his penalty area and unleashed a huge throw to his right, one that went 65 yards, from one half of the pitch to the other, and was missed by António Silva. Barnes, who had been on for only seven minutes, was through and at full pace clipped a right-footed shot into the far corner of the Benfica goal.
It was a shared triumph, Barnes mobbed by forwards at one end of the field, Pope by the defenders Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman at the other. Pope raised a fist to the Leazes End.
Gordon set up a third with seven minutes remaining, taking a clever flick by Nick Woltemade before passing to his right for Barnes to again finish.
Mourinho stood with his hands in his pockets. It is a ground he likes but his teams do not. There have been only three victories in 13 attempts with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and now Benfica.
“In the first half we were good on the pitch, comfortable,” he said. “We had great chances. For the second goal we made mistakes in defensive movements. When we concede this goal, that is when the differences between one team and another became clear.
“I am not saying the team [Benfica] is bad physically, or doing badly, it is just a case of the level of the characteristics of Newcastle. The second goal was a psychological killer. The last part of the game was tough.”
Victory for Howe ended a run of three consecutive defeats at St James’ Park in the Champions League. “It was a massive, massive result,” he said. “I’m delighted with the win.”
Barnes watches the ball nestle in the bottom corner as his fine left-footed finish puts Newcastle 2-0 up
LEE SMITH/REUTERS
He praised each of the three goals, and with justification.
Gordon’s goal then, which came in the 32nd minute, felt vital, and it was one dripping with real quality. Thiaw won a crucial challenge just inside the Benfica half and fed Bruno Guimarães. The Brazilian produced an incisive slide pass that cut open the Benfica defence. It was a brilliant ball and the noise from the crowd told you Newcastle had the opportunity to go ahead.
From there it was one touch from the overlapping Jacob Murphy on the right, a low, driven cross, and at the far post Gordon was unmarked with a first-time left-footed finish in the bottom corner of Anatoliy Trubin’s net. He wheeled away in celebration.
There was a need for a second goal, and it arrived when Pope hurled the ball like an Olympic javelin champion. “It’s a remarkable throw,” added Howe. “It’s a thing of beauty and we needed that second goal. We have been working on his distribution but it was a spontaneous moment and Harvey finished it brilliantly. It is that kind of game that we have to take forward into our next few games. That is the level we want to be at. We were a constant threat and scored three great goals.”
Barnes’ second ended any hope for Mourinho and the 2,500 Benfica fans who had travelled to England. For them, the competition already looks just about over. For Newcastle, nestled in the top eight, dreams of better days abound for the team, and not only the players.
Newcastle United (4-3-3): N Pope — K Trippier, M Thiaw, S Botman, D Burn — B Guimarães (J Willock 90), L Miley, J Ramsey (Joelinton 63) — J Murphy (H Barnes 63), N Woltemade (W Osula 85), A Gordon (A Elanga 85). Booked Thiaw
Benfica (3–4-3): A Trubin — A Dedic (F Ivanovic 63), A Silva, N Otamendi, T Araujo — R Rios, E Barrenechea — D Lukebakio, E, G Sudakov, F Aursnes — E Pavlidis. Booked Lukebakio Referee: Mr Szymon Marciniak