Newcastle United put Benfica to the sword on Tuesday evening. The Portuguese giants were resilient throughout the first half of the Champions League clash, but Eddie Howe's side proved too much in the end.
St. James' Park roared as the Magpies took flight. It was a much-needed victory, securing two on the bounce in Europe's elite competition after that opening week defeat by Barcelona.
But Newcastle languish in 14th place in the Premier League after eight matches. Two wins are all they have. Will Newcastle rise and find themselves battling for a top-four finish once again? We can't be sure, but we can say the club demand of themselves to be on that battlefield, and Howe's concerns will have been eased by the fluency and sharpness of his side's performance this week.
Anthony Gordon was at the heart of all that was good. The 24-year-old is coming back into his own.
Gordon stepping up at Newcastle
Gordon was named Newcastle's Player of the Season at the end of the 2023/24 campaign. In the Premier League, the versatile winger had posted 11 goals and ten assists, a real threat throughout the term.
There's likely no need for a reminder about United's injury problems that year; this put a dampener on the PIF parade, and Newcastle were unable to secure back-to-back qualification into the Champions League - or Europe at all, for that matter.
Anthony Gordon
But Gordon was a shining light throughout, and the England international is now finding form once again, having toiled last season after summer 2024 interest from Liverpool, who had been offered to sign the £100m star.
Though the electric-paced talent has yet to hit his stride in the Premier League this year, he has been a force on the continent, having scored four goals across just three Champions League matches this year. Against Benfica, he put in a stunning Man of the Match performance.
Anthony Gordon vs Benfica
Match Stats
Minutes played
Goals
Assists
Touches
Shots (on target)
Accurate passes
Chances created
Crosses
Dribbles
Recoveries
Tackles won
Duels won
Data via Sofascore
Some people watching from beyond Tyneside perhaps don't grasp how talented a player Gordon is. Now that Alexander Isak has left for Merseyside, it was always going to be important that Gordon steps up and performs in a talismanic way.
He's the man of the moment and one of Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions stars besides. But there's another who may come to outstrip him on that front, and it's not the clinical Harvey Barnes.
Newcastle's "future England superstar"
Barnes bagged a brace against Jose Mourinho's Benfica, and continues to add a prolific dimension to the team.
But the 27-year-old is somewhat limited in his production, and it's unlikely he will be a regular name on the starting teamsheet for England.
However, Lewis Miley has the potential to do exactly that, and in this, he could even come to be a bigger name than Gordon when he reaches his ceiling.
Lewis-Miley-Newcastle-Champions-League
Miley is like Gordon in more than just nationality. Gordon's first foray onto Tyneside was fraught with frustration. The winger struggled to get going after his winter switch from Everton, arriving for a hefty £45m fee.
In fact, it was the final game of the 2022/23 campaign that saw Gordon land his first goal in black and white. Some might have felt it was an ill-advised transfer for a raw and profligate young player. Such feelings would have been understandable.
But Howe knew what he was doing, knew the young Scouser would bloom into a key cog at St. James' Park. Now, Miley can follow suit, having endured some adversity of his own this term.
Lewis Miley scores for Newcastle
The midfielder came under fire for several of his early-season performances, with certain online supporters questioning his first-team credentials.
But Miley has knuckled down, and Howe's glowing endorsement spoke both of the teenager's quality in the engine room and the backing he has from the manager.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe
Howe said, "He's come back into the team and produced two really good performances back-to-back. I thought he was really good against Bournemouth in maybe a slightly different way to tonight, but he's developing his experience all the time and I'm really pleased with him."
Against Benfica, Howe shifted his protege into the number six berth, sitting deep to take the fetters off Bruno Guimaraes, who was key in unlocking the Eagles backline. His versatility is a key strength, with talent scout Jacek Kulig even claiming he could "become an absolute unicorn" in midfield with some more physical development.
Calm and composed, Miley might have been a bit more fluent throughout the first half, and he did miss a good header to get in on the action, but there was a lot to like, with Sofascore recording that he completed 90% of his passes, won both of his tackles and recovered the ball five times.
BBC pundit Pat Nevin even went as far as to say that Miley could be “the next young English superstar”, such is his talent and potential yet untapped.
With Joelinton ostensibly slipping from his imperious position in Howe's squad, we are perhaps entering a new order at the outfit, one which could see Miley grasp the opportunity presented to him and go from strength to strength.
joelinton-newcastle
If he continues to merge his natural maturity and technical quality on the ball, the 6 foot 2 midfielder might just find himself emulating Gordon in weathering a Tyneside storm and emerging the better for it.
And in turn, Howe and United's faith would be repaid in full. This is not hyperbole: Miley has the potential to be a 'superstar' for his boyhood club.