SESS-ATIONAL DOUBLE MAKES UNHAPPY BENITEZ ANNIVERSARY

pace. We were giving the ball away and that was giving them the chance to play in the way that they like to play.

“It is not as though the players were not trying in terms of effort. Sometimes, it is just making the wrong decision and t hat i s something we have to improve.

“In terms of effort, you could see we were running and working very hard. When we scored the goal, we were pushing and pushing but we were making too many mistakes in terms of the decisions in the final third.

“When you are under pressure and you know you have conceded goals and you have to score and the time is against you then that is when you have to have more experience and character and make the right decision, and we didn’t do it.”

Fulham are two points adrift of the play-off places but boast a game in hand on all bar one of the sides in the top six and appear to be peaking at just the right time.

Cottagers manager Slavisa Jokanovic said: “I believe that Newcastle will be a Premier League team. They play a different style of football – they are physical and a very strong team.

“We are not in a position to think about being a promoted team but we are going to push hard for the top six. If you have enough strength for this then we have a 25 per cent chance to be a Premier League team next season.”

Sessegnon could have capped a miserable day for Benitez and completed his hat-trick when Fulham were given a penalty in stoppage time after Paul Dummett was penalised.

But defender Tim Ream took the kick – and fired wide!