Rafa was right

first half. If Newcastle had conceded four goals they would have dropped a place and if they had shipped six or more they would have slipped down two positions. England boss Gareth Southgate watches on at St James’ Park

Goal difference could prove crucial to Newcastle’s survival hopes – so, even if Benitez’s tactics were negative, they were wholly justified.

In the second period, United then gave it a decent go and had a couple of opportunities to grab a point.

It was a completely different game after half-time and it was Man City scrambling defensively at times rather than the home side.

Jamie Carragher’s assertion the Premier League is “becoming a bit of a joke league” is more accurate than Neville’s assessment, even if the exLiverpool defender then partly criticised Benitez’s tactics.

Newcastle simply cannot compete with City over an entire 90 minutes – and neither can at least 14 other teams in the division. That is the sad reality..

Forget about the debate over whether Newcastle should have been that negative at home for a second and focus on Lascelles’ display.

Had Newcastle conceded four or more goals then they would have dropped at least one place in the table. As it is, their goal difference of – 11 is the best in the bottom six.

There was always a risk it could take a hammering against the runaway league leaders but in the end the damage-limitation approach paid relative dividends.

Next up for Newcastle is a huge home clash against Brighton before a trip to another relegation rival Stoke City on New Year’s Day.

Those two matches, plus the win at West Ham, were the three festive fixtures Benitez knew his side needed to focus on.

If Newcastle collect decent points from the next two then this game will quickly be forgotten.