Saturday 3 March 2018 22:10, UK
Rafa Benitez was left disappointed by Newcastle's defensive mistakes in the 2-0 defeat at Liverpool.
It was not a vintage Reds performance but goals either side of half-time from Mohamed Salah (40) and Sadio Mane (55) were more than enough to thwart a toothless Newcastle side, who remain just two points above the relegation zone.
Regarding the Magpies' performance, Benitez said: "I'm not happy because I don't like to lose, even if the game plan is good for 40 minutes. It has to be good for 90 minutes.
"We saw one of the best teams in the Premier League and we were for 40 minutes controlling defensively the game but you cannot make mistakes because with these things, normally you pay for that."
The Toon were arguably lucky not to have captain Jamaal Lascelles sent off late on for a professional foul on Salah - although Benitez wasn't convinced it was red card offence.
"Watching from the bench maybe, watching the replay it was not very clear," he said.
"The referee maybe had the same opinion, that it wasn't very clear.
"Watching the replay, both situations was not very clear."
Benitez, whose family home is in nearby Wirral, had both sets of fans singing his name towards the end.
"Obviously, on a personal level I'm really pleased with our fans and the Liverpool fans - both were really good for me," he added.
"But we didn't get any points. So I'm happy, but really disappointed."
