Rafa Benitez Admits Newcastle Couldn't Handle West Ham's 'Top Class Players' in 3-0 Defea

Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez admitted his side weren't able to handle West Ham's 'top-class players' in the final third during their 3-0 defeat at St. James' Park.

A Javier Hernandez brace and Felipe Anderson strike in stoppage time in the second half decided the game, as the Hammers ended the home side's recent run of three consecutive wins.

Both sides were guilty of passing up great scoring opportunities over the course of the game, however Benitez claimed the quality of West Ham's attack was the difference.

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Speaking post-match to Sky Sports, he said: "You see the players that made the difference, they are top-class players.

"[Marko] Arnautovic, Felipe Anderson, [Robert] Snodgrass and Hernandez, four players - all of them have quality, all of them have pace, they have ability, that's the point.

"It wasn't just one player today. The four offensive players and the players in the middle that they had, they are quite good and will create problems against anyone."

The result sees Newcastle drop to 15th in the Premier League, leaving Benitez's side just three points above the relegation zone following their first defeat in the league since October 20 against Brighton. 

While the Spaniard was complementary of West Ham's performance, the same could not be said for Newcastle, as Benitez lamented his side's failure to finish any of the chances they created.

He added: "It was a typical Premier League game, you attack, you create chances, if you don't take your chances then you can pay for that. 

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"We made some mistakes in defence, they score, and when we were open trying to equalise they were very dangerous on the counter."