Fresh from his £65m arrival from Bournemouth, Semenyo scored one and created one more in the 10-1 result.
“Antoine is settling well,” said Lijnders afterwards.
“He’s a humble guy, we followed him for a long time and he brings something to the front line that we want and need.
“He can attack quickly, he wants to chase, he doesn’t stop.
“You saw today, he can adapt quickly to our style so it’s nice to have him with us.
“Overall I think we have a really special group with experienced players that take the lead of the team - the way they guide the others.
“New players are settling in and the energy, not just talking about games, but especially in training it’s special.
“We want to reach finals this year and we’re on our way playing the semi-final for the League Cup, we want to go further in the FA Cup and we are in the Champions League in a good position. We want to build on that.
“The most important thing, Pep (Guardiola, manager) says it all the time, we want to grow and make the next step as a team.
“We need to keep working hard and take nothing for granted.
“Approach the next game as a final and that will be Newcastle. With that we will grow and make the next step.”