Jamaal Lascelles Praises Rafa Benitez's Decision to Drop Karl Darlow for Martin Dubravka

Jamaal Lascelles has praised his managers decision to drop goalkeeper Karl Darlow and bring in Martin Dubravka for their 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Sunday.

The shock win moved Newcastle into 13th place, despite only being two points clear of the relegation zone. The battle for survival is tighter than ever this season and the performance of Dubravka could prove pivotal come the end of the season. 

Despite performing fairly well in recent games, Benitez chose to drop Darlow and bring in Dubravka - the Slovakian did not disappoint. 

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He made a string of impressive saves from the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Anthony Martial, and will now be providing Benitez with a selection headache going into the next few games. 

In an interview for The Chronicle, club captain Lascelles praised the decision, saying: ''The manager has put in a new goalkeeper and in all fairness he was ready. Martin was talking his way through the game and he was a confident keeper.

It’s a great way for him to make his debut. The rest of us can’t thank him enough for the saves that he made.'' 

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Darlow should not be too disheartened by the stunning display of his team-mate however. He has been Newcastle's No.1 of late and Rafa may recall him to the team for the next game against AFC Bournemouth.