Rafa Benitez praised his side’s battling qualities but was disappointed with the side’s performance defensively as Newcastle United salvaged a 2-2 draw at home to Championship strugglers Bristol City at St James’ Park.
Speaking to the press after the game, Benitez, as reported by the Daily Mirror, commented: “We made some mistakes we can’t afford in the future. We saw character, good attacking football and positive things.
“If we play the way we did second half in the next two weeks, ok. But no mistakes. We have been dominant, but we have been in a losing situation and have had anxiety.
“It is points lost. We didn’t start well. The reaction of the team second half was really good. It is what we have to do.
“We gave them this advantage of 2-0 and then it is easy for them to defend and counter attack.”
In a disappointing first-half performance from the Magpies, Benitez’s team went behind to an excellent header by Aaron Wilbraham in the 11th minute before Lee Johnson’s side doubled their lead courtesy of David Cotterill’s finish after Newcastle keeper Karl Darlow failed to clear the ball, leaving Cotterill with the opportunity to tap into an empty net in the 22nd minute.
However, Newcastle produced a spirited second-half display to rescue a point with a calamitous own goal by Korey Smith halving the deficit before Newcastle after frequently knocking on the door got their just reward courtesy of Ciaran Clark’s header in the 82nd minute.
A point was not enough for Newcastle to retain their status at the top of the Championship as Brighton’s 3-0 win over Reading took the Seagulls to the summit in the Championship. Newcastle are one point behind the league leaders in second.
