Former Chelsea and Manchester United boss, Jose Mourinho, has said that Anthony Gordon was ‘the best player on the pitch’ in Newcastle United’s 3-0 win against Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Gordon put the home side ahead in the first half and substitute Harvey Barnes came off the bench in the second half to score a double to make it back-to-back wins for Eddie Howe’s side in the Champions League.

Mourinho said that the England international’s performance was ‘tremendous’, adding that his players struggled to cope with Newcastle’s physicality throughout the game.

“We conceded three goals from transitions,” Mourinho said after Benfica’s defeat at St James’ Park.

“The first. I wouldn’t call it a transition, but it was a quick attack in which Dedic lost to the best player on the pitch, who had a tremendous game, Anthony Gordon, on the diagonal.

“The second goal was a transition, the third goal another transition. In that period, we struggled. They’re a team with fantastic physicality, quality, and rhythm.

“Every set-piece is very difficult to control but we did.

“They killed us in transition, in speed, intensity, we couldn’t cope with that.

“The moment you are losing 2-0 against them they have a completely different danger than we have and in the end I think the result is fair.”