Jose Mourinho, Head Coach of Benfica, interacts with Eddie Howe, Manager of Newcastle United, during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 match between Newcastle United FC and SL Benfica at St James' Park on October 21, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)placeholder image
Jose Mourinho, Head Coach of Benfica, interacts with Eddie Howe, Manager of Newcastle United, during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 match between Newcastle United FC and SL Benfica at St James' Park on October 21, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jose Mourinho has reacted to Benfica’s 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Champions League.
Jose Mourinho admits Newcastle United’s “horsepower” was too strong for his Benfica side as they suffered a 3-0 defeat at St James’ Park.
Anthony Gordon handed the Magpies the lead in the 32nd minute, and Mourinho felt it was “unfair” on his players to be trailing at half-time.
But Mourinho had fewer complaints about the second half as Harvey Barnes came off the bench to score twice inside the remaining 20 minutes.
Providing his verdict on the result at his post-match press conference, Mourinho claimed Newcastle had a “higher horsepower,” in which he was referring to the wingers before directly mentioning Gordon, Barnes and Jacob Murphy.
As well as scoring, Gordon also registered an assist, as did Murphy, who provided the cross for Gordon’s opener at the Leazes End.
Jose Mourinho provides verdict on Benfica’s defeat to Newcastle United
Mourinho said: “What does this team's level tell me? What does Newcastle's level tell me? While the score was open, and I think it was even unfairly open, because in the first half the team played well on the pitch, the players felt comfortable in a stadium with a palpable atmosphere.
“The danger they posed for us was obviously from set pieces and everything indirect in the box, because it's difficult to compete with a team with this physicality, but we had great chances to score, three or four. Before they scored, we had a beautiful shot from Lukebakio that hit the post, so I reiterate that the first-half result doesn't reflect the game at all.
“In the second half, we conceded a goal we couldn't afford, a set piece in our favour, where our initial positioning for the transition was correct, but then we made mistakes in our defensive movement. And when we concede that goal, the differences in characteristics between the teams come to the fore.
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“There's a team with a higher horsepower engine than the other, a team with much more intensity, a team with much more speed. As I said yesterday [the day before yesterday], I think in the press conference—if not in the press conference, it was on TV—they have four lightning-fast wingers. They don't have one or two, they have four. And when you change two who come on in the 50th or 60th minute, when you change one and then later change another, we, losing the compact play we had in the first half, were exposed.
“We lack physical ability, and don't get me wrong, because it's not saying the team is physically weak or has been physically weak in the past; it's simply a matter of characteristics. Elanga , Barnes, Anthony Gordon —all these players have such speed and intensity that we can only compete if we're compact and organized.
“We score a goal before them, we reach half-time leading, we reach half-time tied, we can continue with the same type of organisation. Then, the second goal, psychologically, kills us. The players felt the second goal deeply, and then the game took a different turn, which was tough for us.”
Eddie Howe comments on his Newcastle United wingers
With £69million club-record signing Nick Woltemade scoring four of the Magpies’ seven Premier League goals so far, the wingers at Newcastle have come under fire for the lack of goal contributions.
But in the Champions League, there has been no such problem with Gordon scoring four in three games, while Barnes has three in three. Murphy, meanwhile, has two assists.
“Yeah, that's a head-scratcher for me as well, because we know their qualities, we know they're goal-scorers, we know how good of players they are, and that goes through for another few players in our squad as well.
“Everyone's pointed to the fact that we haven't been scoring enough in the Premier League but when you see us play like we did tonight, and how we attacked, and the amount of chances we created, that's a difficult one for us to work out.
“All we can do is return to the Premier League and return with the same attitude, and I think the attitudes there, the quality will show.”
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