Alan Shearer suggests Rafael Benitez must apologise to Newcastle fans

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Newcastle United crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of League One side Oxford United.

Alan Shearer has told The Sun that Rafael Benitez owes Newcastle United fans an apology after their emphatic defeat in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

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The Magpies went into their tie with Oxford United as favourites to reach the fifth round, but ultimately fell to a surprise heavy defeat at the Kassam Stadium.

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez

And like many of the sides that lost to lower league opponents in the competition over the weekend, the number of changes made to the starting line-up was pinpointed as a key reason for their exit with Benitez making nine alterations to the team that had beaten Rotherham in the Championship.

And Shearer suggested that Benitez – as many other managers arguably did – betrayed the fans with the side he put out for the 3-0 loss.

“He has the biggest and best squad in the Championship. He has six points and a game in hand on the third placed team and is not playing again until Wednesday,” he told The Sun.

“Yet the FA Cup was sacrificed by him on Saturday with the nine changes he made to face an Oxford side that made him pay.

“He will have applauded the followers who made the trip to Oxford, what he really needs to do is apologise to them for not giving this FA Cup tie his all.

Newcastle United’s Grant Hanley in action with Oxford United’s Rob Hall

While Shearer is not happy, and the Newcastle fans who travelled definitely have a right to be upset, the result will surely be forgotten about if the Magpies go on and secure promotion to the Premier League this season.

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Unfortunately for the purists, a place in the top flight is more important to clubs than possible glory in the FA Cup, and if most fans were offered promotion over a cup run, they would surely accept the offer gladly.

And Benitez will know that a victory over Queens Park Rangers this week would go a long way to appeasing those who were just as frustrated as Shearer was following the defeat.