So close to top ten but now so far

RAFA Benitez’s team came agonisingly close to spending the weekend in the Premier League’s top 10 before throwing away a precious lead at Bournemouth.

The Magpies had stormed into a 2-0 lead at the Vitality Stadium thanks to Dwight Gayle but a late Dan Gosling equaliser saw them slide five places down the table and they remain just two points above the drop zone.

Benitez stayed calm after the final whistle and was happy to explain his tactics to reporters in the post-game press conference.

When asked if a sudden slip down the table bothered him, he responded: “You have to realise where you are in the table but that is not the main thing for me.

“It is about being sure the team continues fighting, playing well, and with the belief we can get points anywhere.”

It meant a day which had promised so much ended in deep disappointment for the Magpies.

Benitez added: “It was a pity because all the hard work, for so many minutes, and the control we had, we could not win the game.

“It was attacking and defending.

“We have had a lot of situations where the final pass was wrong and we missed a good chance for a counter-attack.

“That is something we can improve but the defending for the second goal, we had to be closer, we could not be that far away from a player in the box.”

Meanwhile, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe spoke about how his side had shown great character to stay in the game.

He said: “We had been flat – Newcastle were dogged and made it difficult for us but you have to compliment the players for the last 10 minutes – that is what we wanted to be, we showed a lot of quality and character to come back.

“We started OK but conceded a poor goal and the second one was not pretty either.

“They were both self-inflicted really and it is incredibly difficult to lift yourself up from there.

“It is another point that nudges us towards where we want to be – every one could be vital at the end of the season.”