The Chronicle

Goals the difference for Toon?

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IT was all about the three points on Saturday for Newcastle United. But the positive after-effects of the Magpies’ 3-0 victory over Southampto­n - coupled with every result over the weekend going United’s way - has left Newcastle in a strong position in the relegation dogfight. That win propelled Rafa Benitez’s side from 16th up to 13th place in the table. Given that Newcastle have a three-week gap before their next fixture against Huddersfie­ld Town on March 31 - five of their relegation rivals play again in the coming days while the Magpies have a fallow weekend it was vital that United picked up a win against fellow strugglers Saints. Yet Newcastle leaping three places up the table is not the only positive to come out of the weekend’s result. The Magpies’ goal difference was already relatively healthy last week, but it is now the best of any side in the bottom 12 in the Premier League. Southampto­n’s fell from -12 to -15, while Newcastle improved theirs from -13 to -10 thanks to Kenedy’s brace and Matt Ritchie’s strike. Benitez has often come in for intense criticism from pundits - and even a small section of supporters - for his conservati­ve tactics against top-six sides. Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were vocal critics of Newcastle’s approach to their 1-0 home defeat against Manchester City in December, for example. Yet the ends will justify the means for Benitez, who knows goal difference could prove vital come the middle of May. If one of the tightest relegation battles in recent memory does eventually come down to goal difference, then Newcastle find themselves in a very strong position. Of the seven teams below the Magpies in the table, five of them have a goal difference of -20 or worse, while Swansea City’s (-17) and Southampto­n’s (-15) are also significan­tly inferior

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