RAFA MOANS AND WARNOCK GROANS...
IT WASN’T quite fireworks at St James’ Park but Rafa Benitez and Neil Warnock showed their explosive sides after Newcastle extended their lead over the Championship’s play-off places.
The Magpies are now eight points clear of Huddersfield Town in third spot after edging a Bonfire Night battle with Cardiff City on Tyneside.
A narrow and hard-earned victory kept Newcastle at the top of the table, but it also left both managers voicing their frustrations at certain decisions from referee Tony Harrington and his assistants.
Benitez felt his players should have been protected more by the officials, while Warnock was incensed that Cardiff were not handed a late penalty and suggested officials should be better ‘educated’.
Benitez said: “It was a Championship game. We started well, had chances and scored two, and started the second half well.
“Then they started with the long balls, throw-ins and free kicks. The ref allowed too much contact. They were complaining and we were not happy with decisions.
“We have to work hard even if we concede a goal that is not correct. I was not happy that we had to defend so much. But if a ref allows this situation you have to defend.
“I would rather play passing football, getting goals. In football if you play well you will have chances to win games. Sometimes you can’t because the opposition is aggressive and the ref allows this contact.
“If you can it means you are strong as well. Sometimes you play passing football, sometimes you have to be strong and defend and stand up.”
The Toon had to stand up and survive in the end, with Cardiff threatening to actually return to South Wales with a point.
But Warnock was left furious that Cardiff, at 2-1 down, were denied a spot-kick to equalise when he claimed Aleksandar Mitrovic had hauled down Sean Morrison, only for Harrington to blow for a Newcastle free-kick.
The Bluebirds boss said: “He gets kicked in the face. I am so gutted at the penalty. Mitrovic mauls him down. At this level the officials should be educated better and know about the pull.
“To add salt to the wound the linesman gives the free-kick to them.
“They will go home and see it with their coaches next week and say ‘oh yeah, I made a mistake’.”
Christian Atsu had given Newcastle the perfect start inside three minutes when he controlled Mitrovic’s pass in the area before finding the inside corner of Ben Amos’ near post.
Newcastle should have increased their lead before they eventually did in the final moments of the first half, when Yoan Gouffran capitalised on a lovely pass behind the defence from DeAndre Yedlin.
After the restart Atsu had a couple of early efforts that would have put the game to bed, but Cardiff rallied and pulled one back when Peter Whittingham scored with his first touch by drilling inside Karl Darlow’s bottom left corner – despite Newcastle claims Marouane Chamakh had handballed.
Warnock added: “We have not got enough goals in the squad at the moment. We have to work on that.
“There were some pluses though. The lads at the back especially. At half-time they might have got five or six. The second goal killed us.”