Andre leaves Rafa frustrated at Toon lack of passion

RAFA BENITEZ told his Newcastle team to buck up their ideas and finish the season with a flourish after suffering their third defeat in a row.

With Premier League survival assured for the past couple of weeks he admitted they paid a high price for a dismal first-half performance at Vicarage Road.

They travel to Spurs on Wednesday and entertain Chelsea in next weekend’s season finale and he said: “I’m very disappointed.

“We didn’t start the game with the concentration we were expecting. We made too many mistakes.

“There was a lack of focus from the beginning. I wouldn’t say it is a question of motivation. We achieved something that was really important and difficult – to stay up with five games to go.

“Maybe we don’t have the concentration or the necessity to get points.

“I am still really proud of them but I would like to see them win and finish on a high.

“It is a pity that all the hard work, all the good things that we have done [could be forgotten]. Now we have to continue to do our best. We want to finish with a good taste in our mouth.”

Watford started without a win in seven games, but were on their way to ending that run within 126 seconds of the kickoff when Roberto Pereyra finished clinically from Abdoulaye Doucoure’s square pass in the box. The home side could have been further ahead but keeper Martin Dubravka was the only one coming out of the game with any honour for the Geordies and blocked Pereyra and denied Troy Deeney’s follow-up.

Newcastle were careless in midfield with the ball and negligent at the back.

It was a dangerous mix and Dubravka saved Andre Gray’s powerful shot before he was beaten for a second time.

Pereyra created space to cross to the far post where Gray was arriving unnoticed by Paul Dummett to head home.

Newcastle’s plight should have become a hopeless one when Dummett gave away a penalty, when he slid in and brought down Gray.

Dubravka blocked Deeney’s spot-kick, and the Slovakian stopped the follow-up too.

Watford’s failure to kill off the game looked as if it would come back to haunt them when Newcastle pushed forward for the first time 10 minutes into the second half and Javier Manquillo delivered an inch-perfect cross for Ayoze Perez to tuck away first time.

Deeney was far from happy at being replaced by defender Adrian Mariappa as Javi Gracia went to five at the back to try to keep the three points.

It worked, although it took a reflex save by Orestis Karnezis to keep out Mariappa’s bullet header that would have been a contender for own goal of the season, while the substitute also saved his team with a brilliant block to deny Mikel Merino.

Gracia goes into the season’s final game at Manchester United with the chance to beat the team’s highest-ever Premier League placing of 13th.

But just four wins since taking over in January, and not a single away goal, count against him. He said: “I am happy that we have achieved the objective of staying in the Premier League and in the last game we hope to improve on the best position of the club.”