Benitez worried as nervous Newcastle slip to defeat again

Even Rafael Benítez struggled to account for Newcastle’s troubling downturn in form after this latest disappointing result.

With automatic promotion within sight, Benítez’s side have faltered badly in recent weeks, having now won only twice in eight games – and those were both against relegation-threatened opposition in Wigan Athletic and Burton Albion.

Huddersfield Town, seven points behind Newcastle with a game in hand, could have made Newcastle’s defeat more damaging had they held on to win at Derby County yesterday, but Benítez nonetheless admitted to being troubled by his side’s continued nervousness.

This result followed a defeat at Sheffield Wednesday and an agonising draw at home to Leeds United, who equalised at the death. “I am concerned about the change in the team in terms of the performance against Leeds and today,” Benítez said. “We have to change and improve a lot. I thought we were ready but it turns out we were not focused or mentally ready. It’s difficult to explain but that was the reality.”

Daryl Murphy, the striker bought from Ipswich for £3 million last summer, scored his sixth Newcastle goal to cancel out Freddie Sears’s opener but David McGoldrick and Emyr Huws went on to win the match for the mid-table hosts.

“We made a lot of mistakes and we are paying for that, massive mistakes that normally we were not doing,” Benítez added. “We have to analyse what is wrong and change quickly. I am not going to blame players here, but they know what I told them at half-time and the end.

“We have played so many good games this season. Now we have to play at the level we had before.” Newcastle remain second but now trail promoted Brighton by seven points.

Mick McCarthy, the Ipswich manager, took the opportunity provided by the impressive win to criticise his club’s supporters, who cheered this victory having booed constantly throughout a disappointing season. “That’s because we have been s---,” he said of the previously persistent toxic atmosphere. “But it’s not been helped by a s--- atmosphere as well. It cuts both ways, doesn’t it? When we were struggling and could have got relegated, the crowd would have been part of that if it happened.”

At Pride Park Stadium, Huddersfield manager David Wagner suggested that the draw with Derby meant his side were focused now only on securing their play-off position, rather than chasing down Newcastle.

Huddersfield lost two points when Jacob Butterfield’s deflected strike drew the hosts level with two minutes remaining. The visitors had led since the ninth minute through Collin Quaner’s second goal in as many games.

“If we secure a play-off spot then we will be very happy,” Wagner said. “We are humble and we know how difficult it is to get points in this division. We are Huddersfield Town and to have this points total is an unbelievable achievement. We have to focus on ourselves and not Newcastle.

“We are in a wonderful position but we do not have enough points yet. We would like to have more points and we would like more good performances. We are disappointed because the equaliser was late, but I am pleased, as we managed the game well.

Ipswich Town (4-4-2): Bialkowski; Spence, Chambers, Berra, Kenlock (Emmanuel 77); Ward, Skuse, Huws, Sears; McGoldrick (Smith 86), Lawrence (Pitman 89).

Subs Crowe (g), Bru, Diagouraga, Samuel. Booked McGoldrick, Lawrence.

Newcastle United (4-4-1-1): Darlow; Yedlin (Gamez 78), Lascelles, Hanley, Dummett; Ritchie (Mitrovic 82), Shelvey, Hayden (Gouffran 61); Atsu; Diame; Murphy.

Subs Elliott (g), Colback, Perez, Mbemba. Booked Hayden.

Referee T Robinson (West Sussex).