Daniel Wales reports from St. James’ Park as Newcastle United won 3-0 against Benfica in the Champions League, leaving Eddie Howe very pleased with his side’s performance. Howe was also complimentary of his wingers who effectively won the game for the Magpies, whilst José Mourinho admitted that Newcastle were too much for his side in the end.
00:00A classic European night for Newcastle United as they hit Portuguese giants Benfica for three,
00:08keeping another clean sheet along the way and showing the rest of the continent that they are here to compete in the Champions League this season.
00:17Well, Jose Mourinho's poor record on Tyneside continued as Newcastle were clinical here at St James' Park.
00:24The Magpies knew, of course, that they needed a response after the defeat on the south coast against Brighton on Saturday,
00:31and they certainly came out of the traps looking to gain the advantage.
00:35Benfica were also looking sharp though, and Eddie Howe's side had to work hard to go into the break ahead.
00:41That they did, before a second-half display that gave the visitors no hope of getting back into the match.
00:47It was everything the players, staff and supporters of Newcastle wanted after Saturday's events,
00:53and it means that they now sit on six points after three games of their Champions League campaign this year.
01:00Let's go back through the match now from minute one to minute 90 to see how Newcastle won handsomely against their Portuguese opponent, Benfica.
01:11Newcastle were at it from the off. Anthony Gordon, in particular, had success down the left-hand side.
01:17However, Benfica soon managed to gain a foothold in the match.
01:21Their winger, Dodi Lukabacchio, forced Nick Pope into two good saves and also hit the post.
01:28But it was the Magpies who led at the break.
01:31Anthony Gordon tapping home at the back post, with Jacob Murphy having supplied the ball across the box from the right wing,
01:39leaving Gordon an easy task to fire Newcastle ahead.
01:43Newcastle, though, were relentless in the second half.
01:46Substitute Harvey Barnes got their second, thanks to a monster throw from goalkeeper Nick Pope,
01:52who launched the ball around 65 yards straight into Harvey Barnes' path,
01:57before Barnes slotted in off the post to make it two.
02:01And it was Barnes again who got Newcastle's third, finishing off a great team move,
02:06with help from Anthony Gordon and Nick Volta-Marder.
02:09Eddie Howe was pleased with his side's response from their defeat to Brighton.
02:14Yeah, I think it is that kind of game that we have to take forward into our next few games that we've got coming up.
02:22I thought that's the level that we want to be at.
02:25And we've been threatening, I think, sort of putting a performance like that together.
02:29Even Brighton, there was some really, really positive moments, but that gets lost in the result.
02:34But today we got both.
02:35We got another clean sheet.
02:36We scored some goals.
02:37Confidence returned to our attacking players.
02:39So, as I said earlier, it's a good night for us.
02:42Newcastle's wingers have been questioned in recent weeks,
02:44but Haar was very keen to praise them following their output against Benfica.
02:49Yeah, I thought both our wingers that started the game did really, really well.
02:52Great to see them combined for the first goal.
02:54That's a really pleasing sight.
02:56But, yeah, Anthony played very direct.
02:59I thought athletically he was excellent because he put a real big effort in both on and off the ball.
03:04So, yeah, good night for him.
03:06Harvey's always been a goal scorer for us.
03:09I'm pleased to see him score off the right today because he's actually played some good minutes for us on that side of the pitch,
03:13and I think he's played really well.
03:15Hasn't quite got the goals that he has on the left, but today it was two really good finishes.
03:19You know, a reminder of his qualities.
03:22Jose Mourinho was happy with his side's first-half performance,
03:25but conceded that Newcastle were just too much for them in the second 45.
03:30They felt that the game was not easy.
03:34They felt that Benfica was much closer than Newcastle to score.
03:39They brought their enthusiasm in set-pieces, which is normal.
03:43When you have a team of giants, you know that every set-piece, through win, lateral free-kick, corner,
03:49you know that is a dramatic moment for the opponent.
03:52And it was the only moment where they brought that enthusiasm and that pressure to the opponent.
03:56We felt very comfortable in the first half.
03:59In the second half, the second goal kills the game.
04:04And then after that, easy for Newcastle to play, easy for the fans to enjoy.
04:10These are the nights that Newcastle and St James' Park adore, especially when they go the way of the Magpies.
04:16Progressing in Europe is a big priority for Eddie Howe this season,
04:19and Newcastle are now well on their way to achieving that goal.
04:23But they will also be conscious of needing to sort out their inconsistent Premier League form too.
04:29That objective can begin against Fulham, which is next up.
04:33But for now, Titanside will enjoy a big win under the lights in Europe
04:36that they will hope will help to regain their momentum
04:39that was found initially before the international break.
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