Newcastle United put Benfica to the sword on Tuesday night. The Portuguese giants were tenacious throughout the first half of their Champions League encounter, but Eddie Howe’s side were too strong towards the end.
St James’s Park roared as the magpie took flight. It was a much-needed win, securing them two on the bounce in Europe’s elite competition after losing to Barcelona in the opening week.
However, Newcastle are languishing in 14th place in the Premier League after eight games. They only have two wins left. Will Newcastle emerge and fight for another top-four finish? I can’t say for sure, but I can say the club is looking to be on that battlefield, and Howe’s concerns will be alleviated by the fluency and sharpness of his team’s performance this week.
Anthony Gordon was at the center of all good things. The 24-year-old is coming back to himself.
Gordon steps up at Newcastle
Gordon was named Newcastle’s player of the year at the end of the 2023/24 season. In the Premier League, the versatile winger scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists, making him a real threat throughout the season.
I don’t need to be reminded of United’s injury problems that year. This put a damper on the PIF parade, with Newcastle failing to qualify for the Champions League or, for that matter, Europe, for consecutive seasons.
But Gordon has been a flash of brilliance throughout and the England international is now finding his form again after struggling last season after attracting interest from Liverpool in the summer of 2024, who had been offered a £100m star contract.
The electric pace talent has yet to hit his stride in this year’s Premier League, but he has been a force on the continent, scoring four goals in just three games in this year’s Champions League. He showed a great performance against Benfica and was named Man of the Match.
Anthony Gordon vs Benfica | |
|---|---|
match statistics | # |
Play time (minutes) | 85 minutes |
the goal | 1 |
assist | 1 |
touch | 60 |
Number of shots (on target) | 4(1) |
exact path | 25/35 (71%) |
An opportunity has arisen | 1 |
cross | 1/4 |
dribble | 1/3 |
collect | 8 |
tackle win | 2/3 |
won a duel | 7/14 |
Data via Sofascore | |
Some people watching from outside Tyneside may not realize just how talented a player Gordon is. With Alexander Isaac gone to Merseyside, it was always important for Gordon to step up and perform like a talisman.
He is a man of the hour and one of the stars of Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions. But there is another person who could surpass him in that regard. It’s not Harvey Barnes, the clinician.
Newcastle’s ‘Future England Superstar’
Barnes continues to make a huge contribution to Jose Mourinho’s team, scoring twice against Benfica.
However, the 27-year-old has limits to his ability and is unlikely to feature in England’s starting XI as a regular.
But Lewis Miley has the potential to do just that, and in that regard, he could even be a bigger name than Gordon when he reaches his ceiling.
Miley is similar to Gordon, and not just because of her nationality. Gordon’s first foray into Tyneside was not without setbacks. The winger has struggled to improve his form since arriving from Everton in the winter for a hefty £45m fee.
In fact, it was in the final game of the 2022/23 season that Gordon scored his first goal in black and white. Some may have felt that it was a reckless transfer for a young player who was rough and loose. Such sentiments were understandable.
But Howe knew what he was doing and knew the young Scouser would blossom into a vital cog at St James’ Park. Miley, who has endured some adversity herself this season, could follow suit.
The midfielder has come under fire for some performances earlier in the season, with some online supporters questioning his first-team credentials.
But Miley relented, and Howe’s enthusiastic support spoke to both the teenager’s quality in the engine room and the support he received from his manager.
Howe said: “He’s come back into the team and performed really well two games in a row. I thought he was really good against Bournemouth, maybe a little bit differently than tonight, but he’s always gaining experience and I’m really happy for him.”
Against Benfica, Howe moved his disciple to the number six berth and sat deep to unshackle Bruno Guimarães, who was key to unlocking the Eagles’ backline. His versatility is a key strength, with talent scout Jacek Kulig even claiming that with a little more physical development, he could be “an absolute unicorn” in midfield.
The composed Miley could have been a little more fluent throughout the first half and missed a good header going into the action, but there was plenty to like as Sofascore recorded him completing 90% of his passes, winning both tackles and recovering the ball five times.
BBC critic Pat Nevin went so far as to say that Miley could become “the next young British superstar”, stating that his talent and potential were still untapped.
With Joelinton stepping down from his ostensibly overbearing position in Howe’s team, we are likely to see a new order in the team and see Miley seize the opportunities presented to him and go from strength to strength.
If he continues to blend his natural maturity with his technical qualities on the ball, the 6ft 2 midfielder may find himself emulating Gordon in terms of weathering the Tyneside storm and moving on to better things.
And Howe’s faith in him and United will be fully rewarded. This is not an exaggeration. Miley has the potential to become a ‘superstar’ at his boyhood club.
