RAFAEL BENITEZ handed a debut to the young man who once taught Neymar a trick or two and yet it was a familiar French forward posing as the Brazilian that helped Newcastle United into the FA Cup fourth round.

This was the night when Yasin Ben El-Mhanni, signed in the summer after a number of trials having caught the eye on YouTube showing off his skills, was given a first team outing by Newcastle boss Benitez.

But rather than Ben El-Mhanni, who has previously shown Neymar how to do a couple of things for a commercial and acted as a body double for Cristiano Ronaldo, shining at St James’ Park, it was his more experienced team-mate Yoan Gouffran showing his class.

Gouffran, with bleached blonde hair the flamboyant Barcelona forward would be proud of, had already won the penalty that Matt Ritchie converted in the tenth minute before displaying his own silky skills to add the crucial second to beat Birmingham City in this replay.

The 30-year-old, enjoying a new lease of life under Benitez, was leading the line and with his back to goal he used his knee and then foot to flick a Jonjo Shelvey pass up for a volley on the turn to beat goalkeeper Adam Legzdins ten minutes before the break.

That had looked just enough to get Newcastle – also fielding two other young debutants Dan Barlaser and Stuart Findlay – into next round against Oxford, even though Birmingham did their best to make a fight of it in the closing stages.

City’s David Cotterill pulled one back with 19 minutes remaining and had the Magpies not progressed then questions could well have been asked as to why Benitez had made so many changes. Shelvey, clearly enjoying himself, then teed up Ritchie for his second in stoppage-time to complete the win.

Newcastle, knowing promotion back to the Premier League is the priority this season, are through, even if owner Mike Ashley decided to give it a miss after recently deciding to take more of a hands-on role on the football side of things again.

This was a weakened Newcastle team, in need of a fresh face or two before the transfer window closes, but Benitez’s side still displayed enough to progress, with Shelvey showing his quality when it mattered.

It is a an indication of the respect and rapport Benitez holds with the Newcastle fans that there was no real pre-match criticism of him for making eight changes and handing debuts to three young guns. The result ensured there was none afterwards either.

As well as locally produced birthday boy Barlaser, 20, who hails from nearby Gateshead and a former pupil at Ryton’s Thorp Academy, there were surprise calls for Ben El-Mhanni and Findlay.

Both 21-year-olds were only signed in July. Findlay was recruited from Celtic and was comfortable in possession early on, while Londoner El-Mhanni, who has Moroccan parents, found himself on the left.

All eyes were still looking for the first glimpse of the sort of skills that made El-Mhanni a YouTube sensation, having previously played non-league for Lewes, when Newcastle took the lead.

There had not been an effort on goal up to that point and it was no surprise with who supplied the pass for the opener. Shelvey, back in the side after a five-match suspension and wearing the captain’s armband, fed a clever pass behind the visiting defence.

Gouffran was first to latch onto it and when goalkeeper Legzdins raced off his line he soon had the Frenchman floored in the area after he had been rounded. Ritchie found the centre of the net from the spot with a low finish.

Shelvey was intent on making the most of building up his fitness ahead of his Championship return against Rotherham on Saturday. He almost scored himself when he powered a fine 30-yard half volley towards the bottom corner, only for Legzdins to dive low and parry.

Birmingham – who had made six changes themselves to their starting line-up - initially shows some fight after that. They had already gone close when Cotterill floated an effort a yard wide of the far post before the same player shaved the side-netting with a sweetly driven free-kick.

After that Newcastle took command. Shelvey, in particularly, ran the show on his return and supplied the pass for the second goal ten minutes before half-time. His free-kick from deep was rolled in the direction of Gouffran.

The former Bordeaux man, asked to lead the line in the absence of Dwight Gayle and Aleksandar Mitrovic, flicked the ball up with his back to goal just inside the area before striking low on the turn.

The same player had already hit the post with a neat flick from Achraf Lazaar’s low cross moments earlier and there was no way back for Birmingham after that. It might even have been three before the break when Ritchie’s curling effort bounced off the inside of the far post.

The second half was about preserving the advantage to seal a fourth round spot and defensively they did just enough to do that. The tone was set for that ten minutes after the restart when Findlay made a strong block to thwart Che Adams when he threatened in the area.

There was a lapse in concentration at the back and it proved costly when Maikel Kieftenbeld’s knock down picked out Cotterill unmarked to beat goalkeeper Matz Sels.

Newcastle recovered sufficiently to get the job done, even if former Middlesbrough striker Lukas Jutkiewicz went close to forcing extra-time with a couple of headers.

And when Shelvey got to the byline in stoppage-time, where drilled over a low cross, Ritchie was on hand to convert.