Newcastle United delivered an emphatic European performance at St James' Park, overwhelming Jose Mourinho's Benfica with a 3-0 victory that showcased the depth of Eddie Howe's squad.
Substitute Harvey Barnes emerged as the hero with two clinical finishes after replacing Jacob Murphy in the 63rd minute, whilst Anthony Gordon maintained his prolific Champions League form by netting his fourth goal in three matches in the competition.
The comprehensive triumph marked a significant milestone for the Magpies, who secured consecutive Champions League victories for the first time since 2003.
In front of 52,073 supporters, Newcastle dominated proceedings after the interval, with all three goals and assists remarkably coming from English players - Barnes, Gordon, Murphy and goalkeeper Nick Pope all contributing to a memorable European night on Tyneside.
Newcastle thrashed Benfica after two goals from Harvey Barnes and one from Anthony Gordon
|REUTERS
The opening period proved a competitive affair, with Benfica's Dodi Lukebakio threatening early when he struck the post after leaving Dan Burn trailing in his wake.
Newcastle gradually established control, with Jacob Murphy proving instrumental down the right flank.
His low delivery across the six-yard area in the 32nd minute found Gordon unmarked at the far post, allowing the England winger to tap home his latest European goal.
Nick Pope produced several crucial interventions to preserve Newcastle's advantage, including a spectacular one-handed save to deny Lukebakio and another fingertip effort to push the Belgian's left-footed strike around the post just before half-time.
Despite missing key midfielder Sandro Tonali through illness, with 19-year-old Lewis Miley deputising impressively, the hosts reached the interval ahead after weathering Benfica's sporadic but dangerous attacks.
The second period witnessed a complete transformation in Newcastle's performance, with the hosts overwhelming their Portuguese opponents through relentless attacking play.
Jose Mourinho's Benfica after bottom of the Champions League table
|REUTERS
Harvey Barnes required just eight minutes after his introduction to make a decisive impact. Pope launched a remarkable throw beyond the halfway line, and when Antonio Silva misjudged the bounce, Barnes raced clear before drilling a superb finish off the far post in the 71st minute.
The substitute sealed his memorable cameo twelve minutes later, latching onto Gordon's perfectly weighted through ball before calmly sliding the ball between goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin's legs.
Mourinho's tactical adjustments, including introducing striker Franjo Ivanovic, failed to stem Newcastle's momentum as the home side ran riot, with Benfica unable to register their first Champions League point of the campaign.
The victory represented Newcastle's first successive Champions League triumphs in 22 years, a drought stretching back to the Sir Bobby Robson era when the club last competed regularly amongst Europe's elite.
Eddie Howe's tactical flexibility proved decisive, with his substitutions transforming the match whilst demonstrating the squad's impressive depth.
The all-English contribution to the scoresheet underlined the homegrown talent flourishing under his management.
Newcastle's European campaign has gathered significant momentum, accumulating six points from their opening three fixtures to position themselves seventh in the league phase standings.
Harvey Barnes was in top form for Newcastle with two goals
|REUTERS
For Mourinho, whose previous record at St James' Park included just three victories from twelve visits, this latest setback leaves Benfica rooted to the bottom of their group without a single point, their knockout stage aspirations already appearing remote.
Harvey Barnes expressed his delight at Newcastle's European return, telling TNT Sports: "Last season we weren't in Europe and that hurt the players - this is what we want to be in, there is nothing better."
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The substitute emphasised Newcastle's attacking intent: "A few times when we have gone ahead in games we have not quite gone for that second or third goal and it has cost us. This is when we are at our best - playing attacking football with the crowd behind us."
Gordon, who became the first Newcastle player to score in three consecutive Champions League matches, remained ambitious: "It means everything but we need more, my ambition doesn't stop there."
The winger praised Murphy's assist and Pope's contributions: "We all love Pope. He is one of the most popular people in the dressing room he is a top guy and a top keeper."