Gordon and Barnes strike as Newcastle outclass Benfica

NEWCASTLE, England - Newcastle United's Harvey Barnes came off the bench to score twice and Anthony Gordon netted for the third consecutive Champions League game as the hosts beat Benfica 3-0 on Tuesday to earn back-to-back wins in the competition.

Benfica gave as good as they got in the first half, with Gordon's goal the difference between the sides, but Newcastle's second-half performance and Barnes' superb display condemned the visitors to their third defeat in three Champions League games.

The first half was a rip-roaring affair, played at a blistering pace with chances for both sides.

Defender Dan Burn went close early on for the home side with a header which goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin saved with his legs and Benfica scrambled the ball clear. Trubin then saved Jacob Murphy's shot from distance at St James' Park.

Jose Mourinho's visitors had no intention of sitting back and Dodi Lukebakio forced Nick Pope into a point-blank save before the Benfica forward hit the upright with a curling effort from outside the area.

Bruno Guimaraes tried to poke the ball past Trubin from close range and again the keeper's legs saved Benfica but Newcastle found the opener after a stray pass handed them possession in the opposition half.

Guimaraes played a perfectly weighted pass to Murphy, whose pin-point ball across goal was finished off by Gordon on the edge of the six-yard box, his fourth goal in three Champions League games.

Nick Woltemade may be grabbing the headlines in the Premier League with his five goals, but Gordon has been Newcastle's talisman in Europe and is the first player to score in three consecutive Champions League games for the club.

"It means everything, but we need more, my ambition doesn't stop there," Gordon told TNT Sports. "Because we had so many chances, we had to put one away to calm the nerves."

Pope again denied Lukebakio before the break and after the interval Newcastle pushed hard to find a two-goal cushion.

SECOND-HALF STORM

Lewis Miley headed over from a corner and Trubin parried away Murphy's shot.

The hosts' pressure paid off in the 70th minute when quick-thinking Pope flung a long ball forward to substitute Barnes who raced into the area and steered his low shot into the far corner.

Newcastle wrapped up the win seven minutes from time as the two scorers combined, Barnes finishing off Gordon's threaded pass with a coolly-taken shot through the legs of the keeper.

"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," Barnes told TNT Sports. "This is when we are at our best, playing attacking football with the crowd behind us."

Newcastle lost their opening game at home to Barcelona but have bounced back with convincing wins over Union St-Gilloise and now Benfica, scoring seven goals and conceding none. REUTERS