Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez was complimented by Jose Mourinho on Saturday.
Speaking to The Chronicle, Rafael Benitez has responded to praise from Jose Mourinho and insisted that Newcastle United’s priority remains staying in the Premier League this season.
The Magpies lost 4-1 to Mourinho’s Manchester United side at Old Trafford on Saturday night to leave Benitez’s troops 11th in the table, five points above the drop zone.
Dwight Gayle’s 17th-minute opener had seen Newcastle lead for most of the first half, before goals from Anthony Martial and Chris Smalling helped the Red Devils into a 2-1 half-time lead.
The Portuguese manager was complimentary toward the former Liverpool boss afterwards, praising Benitez and his side’s organisation, but the Spaniard said it “doesn’t change” how he must respond to the defeat.
“That is fine, but it doesn’t change anything,” Benitez replied to The Chronicle when asked about Mourinho’s praise.
“My feeling is that we did really well for 30 minutes, but we knew we could lose even if we were doing well. That is what happened.
“The ambition remains to stay up and try to be as high in the table as possible. But the main thing is to stay up.”
Despite the defeat, it has still been a successful return to the Premier League for Newcastle thus far but, worryingly, that was their third straight defeat and Benitez needs to arrest that run of form.
They host in-form Watford next week, before going on the road for a couple of tricky away trips to West Brom and Chelsea.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
