Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has heaped praise on the team after they secured a 2-0 triumph over Huddersfield Town on Saturday. The Magpies missed the chance to claim maximum points in the previous gameweek against Wolverhampton Wanderers but they managed to respond with a strong showing against the league’s bottom side.
Speaking after the game, Benitez was really pleased with the performance from the Magpies, who managed to curb the early threat from the visitors to dominate the proceedings, he told Sky Sports: "I was really pleased with the performance of the players. Obviously it was more difficult for them with ten players, but they still had chances at the beginning. We created a lot of chances - I think we hit the crossbar or the post four times. We needed to win, and we won well. It does not matter for me whether we pick up three points at home or away, but as we play Burnley next at home, hopefully we can carry our good home run."
“The Magpies had the onus to secure the victory against a struggling Huddersfield outfit and they were aided by the fact that the Terriers“ went down to 10 men after just 20 minutes on the clock. Thereafter, the hosts were the dominant team throughout and goals from Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez ensured that they came up with the maximum“ points for the gameweek“
With the victory, they are now four points clear of the relegation places but the survival battle is far from complete with 11 more games remaining for the season. In midweek, the Magpies are scheduled to face Burnley in their home patch and the game should prove a tricky one, given Sean Dyche’s men have remained unbeaten since the turn of the year. They have bagged five wins and three draws during that period.