Rafa Benitez described the 1-0 win over Leicester City as “massive” on a nervous night at the King Power Stadium.
After it Benitez insisted he was not asking for a huge spending kitty and just wanted .
Ayoze Perez’s first-half header won it for the Magpies as they moved on to 38 points to secure their place in the Premier League next season.
It will now take a miracle for them to be caught by Cardiff City with a 10-point gap between the two sides.
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Benitez said afterwards: “It’s massive for the team.
“You have to give credit to the players who worked hard.
“We were playing against a good team.
“We needed to do almost everything perfect and we were close.
“It’s easier with this commitment from players and managers.
“Tactically we needed to adjust a lot of things and we did it.”
Benitez also commented on Miguel Almiron’s performance after he had Leicester on the back-foot for long periods.
The Toon boss said: “He’s working really hard.
“You can see he’s running behind the defenders.
“He has the pace and stamina and is working for the team.
“He’ll take time to adapt.”
Inevitably Benitez was asked about his future, but he said: “I have been trying to win titles everywhere in different countries.
“We have to have a team who can compete.
“This city, the club has potential. It’s massive. I’m not looking to spend £200m, but doing the right things.
“You can do everything right with your tactics, but the other team has one player that can make the difference.
“You’d have to pay £30m to buy a Leicester player.”
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Alan Shearer celebrates Newcastle United's win over Leicester City as Magpies move closer to safety
