Rafa Benitez Angry at Everton for Wasting Time During Mid-Week Defeat to Toffees

Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez has hit out at Everton's time-wasting strategies in the aftermath of the Magpies' 1-0 home defeat to the Toffees on Wednesday night. 

Wayne Rooney scored an early goal for the visitors, who have won their first away match since January, ending a long 11-month drought.

The Spaniard was fuming when he saw his side concede one goal, despite having the majority of ball possession and hitting the woodwork twice. 

Newcastle have not won a Premier League game in eight matches and stand near the relegation zone after a good start to the season. 

When asked to give an opinion on his team's defeat, Benitez replied: "I have the same feelings that all the fans will have.

“The team started the game well, we had chances, we were on top of them we had the game under control.

“But then we made a mistake, and we struggled to manage the game in the second half against a team with the way that they were wasting time."

He particularly stressed the fact that Everton too often adopted some time-wasting tactics as he commented: “It made it even more difficult for our players to manage the situation.

“Today we hit the crossbar and the post so we were unlucky, but we're still making these mistakes that cost us the points,” Benitez continued. 

However, the Spaniard had to admit that his men need to work on improving their defence if they want to remain in the Premier League next year. He commented: 

“The only thing that you can take as a positive is the approach to the game, the performance of the players in the first half, the way that they were playing and working so hard.

“We have to make sure the players are not down for too long as they need to prepare for another game.”