After being pegged back twice, Barca were able to pull away in the second-half as they reached the Champions League quarterfinals 8-3 on aggregate.
Raphinha, who scored twice and was named man-of-the-match, said afterwards: “That was a complicated match against a team we knew would be tough physically.
"They’re strong, spectacularly so. I knew from my time in the Premier League what they’re like. Especially at St James’ Park so I thought to come here having drawn in Newcastle was very good.
“As I emphasised last week, to take them here in front of our fans for 90 minutes was going to be hard for them. I thought that the second half was much better from us."
On Lamine Yamal taking the penalty in the first-half, he added: “Look, goalkeepers are always well prepared these days. No matter who takes it. But during the match you get an idea, it’s about confidence on the night and Lamine (Yamal) told me he was keen to take it. When you see his confidence, you trust it, and it went well! He hit it really nicely.”