Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has admitted that it is difficult to take after his side suffered a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United on Saturday. The Magpies shocked the Old Trafford faithful after they picked up a 2-0 lead in the Premier League game after just 10 minutes but they went into the break holding a well-deserved lead.
“At 2-0 we had chances to score the third and we had control against a very good team. When we conceded the first goal, we started to have problems because they have so many good players that they could bring off the bench, and it is difficult to contain them. We have to stay calm and be sure we continue working in this way, because we will win games if we play like that.”
The Magpies have generally adopted an ultra-defensive approach when tackling an elite Premier League club on the road but they managed to change the strategy against United which worked in their favour for the opening part of the game. Nonetheless, the Tynesiders could have bagged at least a point against United, had the referee given a penalty for Ashley Young’s handball towards the end of the first half.
Newcastle United are currently languishing in the drop zone with just two points from the opening eight matches but they have plenty of time to catch up with those above them after being subject to a tough schedule to start with. The Tynesiders have already faced five of the previous season’s top six in the first eight league games.