Former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho singled out Anthony Gordon as the key difference-maker in Newcastle United’s dominant 3-0 Champions League win against his Benfica squad.
Mourinho hailed Gordon—who scored the opener—as “the best player on the pitch” and described his performance as “tremendous.” The final score, sealed by a double from substitute Harvey Barnes, reflected what Mourinho admitted was Benfica’s struggle to cope with the home side’s intensity.
“They killed us in transition, in speed, intensity, we couldn’t cope with that,” Mourinho commented. He pointed to the transitions for all three goals, noting that the first was a rapid attack where his player “Dedic lost to the best player on the pitch.Anthony Gordon, on the diagonal.”
Mourinho concluded that given Newcastle’s “fantastic physicality, quality, and rhythm,” especially after going 2-0 up, the final 3-0 result was “fair.”