Jose Mourinho has aimed a veiled dig at Newcastle over the atmosphere created at St James’ Park during the clash with Benfica, which the Magpies won 3-0. The Geordie faithful pride themselves on the hostile reception they generate for away players and fans, with a raucous atmosphere regularly created in the ground, and they will not take kindly to hearing the Special One’s negative comments.
Benfica soundly beaten on Tyneside
Newcastle eased past defeated Benfica courtesy of a standout performance from Anthony Gordon and a second-half brace from substitute Harvey Barnes. The first half saw both teams create chances, including a shot from Benfica's Dodi Lukebakio which hit the woodwork. But Gordon broke the deadlock around the half-hour mark with a close-range finish from a Jacob Murphy cross and, after the interval, Barnes doubled the Geordies' lead by expertly finishing off a remarkable long throw from goalkeeper Nick Pope. Gordon then turned provider, setting up Barnes to score his second goal and secure the win for the Magpies. The victory was Newcastle's second on the bounce in the Champions League, boosting their campaign under manager Eddie Howe.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportAward-winning atmosphere at St James’ Park
Located in the heart of the city, St James' Park is renowned for its intense and passionate atmosphere. The cathedral-like stadium design ensures the roar of the vocal supporters echoes throughout, creating an intimidating and electric environment for visiting teams. In 2018 the ground was named as having the best atmosphere in the Premier League by popular football fan website Football Ground Map. For many fans, the matchday pilgrimage and being surrounded by such fervour makes the experience truly unforgettable. Players have noted the uniquely special vibe there, recognising how difficult it makes things for opposing teams. Recent high-stakes games have proven that when the atmosphere is 'turned up', St. James' Park truly becomes one of the toughest places to play.
Mourinho takes aim at 'nice' Newcastle
Mourinho said: "In the second half the second goal kills the game and then after that, it was easy for Newcastle to play and easy for the fans to enjoy. But to be honest, the atmosphere was just nice, not difficult and beautiful in the sense of fair play, no problems, good referee, no disciplinary problems. In that sense I think it was a quiet St James'."
He added: "This tells me about the level of Newcastle. 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.
"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, 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."
AFPTime for Toon to turn up the volume
There are two perfect opportunities coming up for the Geordie faithful to turn the volume up and prove Mourinho wrong, with upcoming matches including a Premier League game at home against Fulham on October 25 and then Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on October 29.
