Barnes buries Benfica to keep Newcastle purring and pile pain on Mourinho

10 hours ago 4

When José Mourinho arrived on Tyneside and immediately ­showered Eddie Howe and his players with ­lavish praise, Newcastle fans feared the worst. Although such worries ultimately evaporated, it took a fine goal from Anthony Gordon and two more from the substitute Harvey Barnes to reassure St James’ Park that Benfica’s new(ish) manager would not be inflicting any pain on Howe’s team.

If Mourinho’s side, and their ­Belgium winger Dodi Lukébako especially, should remain unbowed by their contribution to an ­initially intriguing, highly compelling ­Champions League duel, Benfica’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages appear almost in tatters.

Mourinho had predicted that Howe’s team would be “very, very physical” but his Benfica ­players possessed a bit of an aggressive edge themselves. The visitors ­certainly delighted in attempting to disrupt Newcastle’s early attempts to ­establish a fluent passing rhythm.

It did not help the home cause that two of Howe’s key ­midfielders, ­Sandro Tonali and ­Joelinton, began on the bench as they continued their convalescence from illness and injury respectively.

The two managers had exchanged a slightly perfunctory, rather cool, embrace before kick-off and it quickly became clear Mourinho had instructed his side to subdue the St James’ Park crowd by slowing ­Newcastle down and lowering the temperature at every opportunity.

This strategy produced mixed results but, when Gordon and co succeeded in dismantling ­Benfica’s barricades, they initially at least struggled to create much more than half chances.

Moreover, Lukébakio very nearly showed his hosts how to ­finish when, having deposited Dan Burn on his backside, he tested Nick Pope with a tremendous shot that was met with an equally terrific one-handed save. No wonder Howe’s goalkeeper retains hope of an England recall in time to make Thomas Tuchel’s squad for next summer’s World Cup.

Yet when Lukébakio directed another shot against a post, ­Newcastle roused themselves. Jacob Murphy shot wide and Anatoliy ­Trubin made an ­impressive close-range save from Bruno Guimarães before Gordon finally broke the deadlock.

Newcastle United’s Nick Pope in action as Benfica’s Dodi Lukebakio hits the post
Nick Pope is beaten by a shot from Benfica’s Dodi Lukébakio hits a post. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

The England winger’s scorching pace had caused Mourinho technical area consternation all night and now he sidefooted that opener beyond Trubin after Murphy’s ­ability to deliver an early ball into the box had once again paid dividends.

When, for once, Newcastle’s hard, high press was not second-guessed by Benfica, Murphy, preferred to the £55m Anthony Elanga in the home starting XI, was there to pass low across the face of goal for Gordon to polish off.

Right from the start, no one could have accused Benfica of ­coming to park any sort of bus and play for a draw but now ­Mourinho’s ­players attacked with real abandon. Lukébakio ­displayed a repeated ­ability to destabilise Howe’s back four and Newcastle were probably grateful to regroup at half-time.The opening half had ended with Pope once again rescuing his side after tipping Lukébakio’s left-foot shot around a post and, as the teams emerged for the second period, ­everything seemed finely poised.

If Gordon, morale evidently buoyed by scoring his fourth goal in three Champions League ­appearances this season, played with the zeal of a winger determined to alter that power balance firmly in Newcastle’s favour, Lukébakio had different ideas.

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Mourinho’s No 11 had already emphasised that, while Burn is a fine central defender, he is not a natural left-back and home hearts were in mouths every time Lukébakio advanced.

Howe might have relaxed a ­little had Lewis Miley, deputising for Tonali, not headed a corner over the crossbar when well placed. Instead this most absorbing of games continued to swing from end to end in a manner that persuaded Newcastle’s manager to introduce Joelinton and Harvey Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Murphy.

Mourinho, meanwhile threw on an extra striker in Franjo Ivanovic. It would arguably prove a risk too far.

Until then Benfica, and their ­Portugal defender Antonio Silva in particular, had done a fine job in restricting Nick Woltemade’s room for manoeuvre and forcing ­Newcastle’s Germany centre-­forward deep. Now though the right-back Amar Dedic was off, the defence underpowered and the path was clear for Barnes to prove that ­Gordon is not Howe’s only goal-scoring winger.

The Newcastle manager’s ­double substitution was already paying off by the time Pope dispatched a ­wonderful throw in Barnes’s ­direction. When Silva, for once, ­misread the bounce, Barnes was away accelerating into the area before maintaining ­commendable poise to lash a sublime shot beyond Trubin.

When Barnes rolled a shot through poor Trubin’s legs after meeting Gordon’s stellar pass it was all over. Mourinho had warned that Newcastle have “four very, very, fast wingers”and three goals from two wingers had destroyed his hopes of securing Benfica’s first Champions League points of the season.

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