Rafael Benitez says league leaders Newcastle must stay focused
Sunday 5 March 2017 07:42, UK
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez says the league leaders must stay focused after rounding off a superb week which saw them beat second-placed Brighton on Tuesday and fellow title rivals Huddersfield on Saturday.
The Magpies strengthened their lead at the Championship summit to five points with an impressive 3-1 victory over the Terriers at a rocking John Smith's Stadium with goals from Matt Ritchie, Daryl Murphy and Dwight Gayle condemning Huddersfield to their first home defeat since November.
But, despite their seemingly unstoppable form, Benitez claims his side must not get complacent if they are to continue their push towards the title and a place in the Premier League.
The Spaniard said: "It is still one game at a time. We have more games to play and more points to play for. We have to enjoy today but in a couple of days we have to play a game so that is a difficult part of this game. We have to be ready.
Speaking of Newcastle's hugely important win over Town, Benitez admitted he instructed his players to play defensively and felt his tactics paid off well.
He added: "We knew that we were playing against a team that is comfortable in possession, so we decided to defend and give them the possession.
"They were pushing and they were passing the ball quite well but our game plan was good. We were working and trying to stop them getting in the middle.
"We defended well and showed we could play on the counter-attack. The last goal was unlucky for them because they were taking a risk.
"We needed discipline and work-rate. They were working so hard and I think they were well organised and tried to do what we said we'd do."
