Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez believes that scoring so early after going 3-1 down against Norwich City on Wednesday was crucial in the fightback which saw the Magpies win the match 4-3 in injury time.
The Spaniard said the players could have reacted very differently after Jacob Murphy’s deflected effort put the Canaries 3-1 ahead but rather than reacting negatively to the goal, Dwight Gayle’s quickfire reply began the remarkable comeback and Benitez feels it was vital and demonstrated the player’s team spirit to fight for every point. He told the club’s official website:
“It was really important to score (just after Norwich’s third goal) because if not, you could see we were having problems because the game was stopping for different incidents, and then it was against us, so to score the goal and keep the momentum was really good for us. The fans realised that the team spirit is there, the passion is there, and that we have to stick together and that is the way to win more games.”
Considering the Magpies dominated the first half and should have been out of sight, finding yourselves 3-1 down in the second period could have led to the player’s feeling frustrated and disenchanted. The character they demonstrated against promotion rivals Norwich will surely hold them in good stead as they progress through a long Championship season when both form and fortunes will fluctuate.
