An emphatic confirmation of how brilliant European nights are…

This is hard to process, all of this.

Last weekend was awful, with a defeat that was both damaging and obvious, some unacceptable performances and a miserable league table that suggests both that European qualification will be a challenge and that the Mackems are better than us. Maybe my advice would be to give it to anyone who loses their stuff until Christmas.

In the meantime we had the small matter of (check the notes) the Champions League.

Enter Benfica, who like me will be remembered as the destroyers of our promising 2012-13 Europa League season, but today look like a lower-ranked player in European competition, if their defeat at home to Qarabag in the first round was anything to go by. This game could indeed be crucial.

If we could add to our win at USG with another three Champions League points at home, Europe would look bright and we would have a foundation to move forward in a busy week of domestic affairs. If we falter against a side that has re-emerged since Mourinho’s appointment, we could find ourselves in a battle on all fronts.

I’m happy to report that tonight would prove to be nothing more than an emphatic confirmation of how brilliant European nights are, while showing signs of what could be a wonderful few weeks.

My concern going into this was that Benfica would stifle the game and try to take a typical Mourinho win. Firstly, a huge shout out to the unstoppable Jacob Murphy, who was at the heart of everything United tried and consistently drove the attacking momentum from the start. The tone was set early as Burn’s powerful header from Trippier’s corner caused chaos in the penalty area, somehow failing to produce an opener after a game of pinball in the penalty area.

The aforementioned Burn was in danger of being exposed a bit, as Benfica had one of those speed merchants on their right that we don’t like to defend against. Dodi Lukebakio was apparently once discarded by Watford, which seemed ridiculous in the context of a match he was threatening to dominate in Europe’s premier competition. He got well ahead of Burn and hit a shot at the near post, but Nick Pope was alert to punch the thunderbolt away. Lukebakio continued to threaten, with another shot comfortably collected by Pope and a subsequent spectacular effort to beat him all, ending just off the woodwork as Benfica enjoyed a period of pressure that the SJP heartbeat could do without.

However, the dial turned the other way and it soon became clear that United were about to put in an impressive performance. Benfica’s attempt to clear was resoundingly ended by Malick Thiaw (whom I quickly became completely in love with) and his pass-out found Bruno, who provided the most magnificent defense by splitting the ball for Murphy. Jacob Murphy did what he has done consistently for three years; he delivered the ball into the middle with speed, power and precision for a well-positioned goalkeeper to convert. In this case, Gordon was the lucky recipient who scored four goals in three UCL games.

Gordon looked a different man to the shadowhunter who had been unimpressed at the AMEX three days earlier as he repeatedly beat his man on the outside and led the high press, tormenting Benfica to the point where he was picked full-time by Jose himself. But going into the break I might have given the impressive Pope the lead for man of the match as he saved again from Lukebakio in the dying moments. Gordon on the scoresheet, but Pope’s actions determined who went into the break with the lead.

The second half brought up the thought I hadn’t dared to say out loud before this match: in principle, a decent Premier League side will be on par with teams from most leagues across Europe, even in the Champions League. The second half rounded off United’s best performance of the season and could be the gateway to another autumn settler if the momentum can be maintained.

The pressure felt relentless as United went for the killer second. Gordon went on a mad run, ending in dispossession, but eventually broke to Murphy, whose poor drive drew a good save from the keeper. Woltemade’s snapshot went narrowly wide, after which Miley headed over from a perfect Trippier corner, when he should have scored. Bruno hit the card in the penalty area and Gordon did the same. In the latter case, the rough challenge combined with the referee’s signal for a goal kick made more than a few people think the penalty had been given. The foul was clearly not as obvious as that handball this referee gave against Livramento in Paris.

Complaints about the Gordon challenge were immediately drowned out when the second killer finally arrived. Benfica’s strike from the goal kick resulted in a corner that ended safely in Pope’s hands. As the visitors piled forward for the set piece, Pope produced a quite magnificent delivery that crossed the half-way line and deceived the scrambling defenders, placing it perfectly into the path of the accelerating Harvey Barnes. Pope deservedly received the plaudits for his first ever assist, but the credit went to Barnes who produced a fine run to finish from a tight angle just five minutes after entering the field.

You’re always afraid of the loser at 1-0, but this score, combined with the lack of threat from the visitors, gave the match a safe feeling in the last twenty minutes. Pope’s super throw was an impressive assist, but Newcastle’s third goal was the moment to savor in this match. Nick Woltemade has already proven that he is so much more than a goalscorer, with some touches and movements bordering on the Maradona-esque.

I’m hoping that Wissa’s successful integration to add the bread and butter finish to Big Nick’s glorious attacking clutch play could set the stage for this season, and hopefully we’ll find out soon. The touch the German produced for this goal was another sublime dink, a back-heel move that completed a one-two with Gordon, who steamed forward and slid a beautifully weighted pass to Barnes to finish under the keeper. Another point over goal difference saw us finish the evening seventh in the table, sandwiched between Bayern and Real Madrid. Cannie.

There are so many promising signs we can expect tonight. Gordon’s good assist saw him named player of the match and hopefully he will carry this confidence boost into subsequent Premier League games. Ditto Barnes, whose rapid fire double will have propelled him into the manager’s thinking. The reality is that these players will both be involved in some degree of rotation and that worked extremely well tonight, with sensible substitutions sharing the workload but not affecting the overall quality.

There are many good things to say across the team. Thiaw looks like a perfect blend of a stylish exterior with a cold, hard battle ax lurking underneath. Ramsey played his best game since joining and seems to have recovered from his recent absence. Pope looks back on his best form in 2022-2023, as does Trippier. Murphy seems to get results every time he gets the chance. As for Woltemade, I don’t think anyone dreamed he would look so good so quickly.

However, this is just one match, probably against an opponent where we expected to get a comfortable result. It is imperative that this slick and committed performance continues on Saturday to secure some much-needed league points, and then be maintained to continue the defense of our cup (which, once again, is our most likely source of tangible success). If these three home wins can be secured, it could be transformative for a season that has been stop-start so far.

Looking further ahead, the week after the match against Spurs sees our next Champions League entry, with the visit of Bilbao presenting a new situation where United will be strong favourites. It seems unthinkable after the rock-solid fixture list we got two years ago, but in this format the Champions League is actually quite manageable, with a series of games where points are more than achievable leading up to that final trip to Paris. A win against the Basques could at least put one foot in the play-off round, and that should be the minimum goal of this continental campaign.

I suspect we will see our first European knockout match later this season since Pardew led the defeat against tonight’s defeated opponents. That’s the score, thanks guys. If we think back to last season, there is another point that needs to be corrected on Saturday. Go in.

Newcastle 3 Benfica 0 – Tuesday October 21, 2025 8:00 PM

(Statistics via BBC Sports)

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Gordon 32, Barnes 70.83

Benfica:

Possess was Newcastle 52% Benfica 48%

Total shots were Newcastle 19 Benfica 7

Shots on target were Newcastle 10 Benfica 2

Corners were Newcastle 12 Benfica 8

Touches in the box Newcastle 38 Benfica 12

Pope, Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Burn, Bruno (Willock 90), Ramsey (Joelinton 63), Miley, Gordon (Elanga 85), Woltemade (Osula 85), Jacob Murphy (Barnes 63)

Unused subs:

Thompson, Ramsdale, Schar, Tonali, Krafth, Alex Murphy

You can follow the author on BlueSky @bigjimwinsalot.bsky.social

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