Let’s show we’ve Ironed out kinks since Hammer horror show

Chief Newcastle writer RAFA Benitez hopes his players have learned their lessons after playing West Ham earlier in the season.

The Newcastle United boss has revealed some of his players had not even heard of former Lazio star Felipe Anderson in the build-up to the corresponding fixture.

However, they certainly knew who he was after their 3-0 defeat on Tyneside when the talented Brazilian ripped United’s defence to pieces.

The Toon manager told the Chronicle: “I remember I was talking to the players about Felipe Anderson, who they paid £45million for. They did not know him really well.

“I told them he was a very good player and he was top scorer who makes assists and can be the difference and he was.” That day United had 17 goal attempts but were still picked off by West Ham.

Newcastle’s sloppiness when defending counter-attacks proved to be their undoing according to Benitez - something which still irks him now.

The Spaniard’s expression changes when he recalls the clash back in December.

He added: “At this time we had just had three wins in a row.

“That day we played with four at the back and they played with two strikers.

“We had problems controlling their counter-attacks.

“Hopefully, we have learned from that and we have more balance when we attack.

“At the same time we have to continue creating chances.”

Victory for United in the capital could see them close the gap on the top 10 by just two points this weekend and Benitez feels there is not too much difference between