"It was my performance of the weekend and I promised them all of Monday that I’d talk about it. They’d have killed me if I hadn’t done it! I just want to look at the first eight minutes of the game - I think this is how Newcastle have to play, certainly in big games. Engage with people, be aggressive. When people are going to Newcastle they’re expecting a tough game – or they have done historically - because of the crowd and the players playing on the front foot. So don’t disappoint them.
"And that’s exactly what they did. It’s not what they did with the ball, it’s how difficult they made it for Man United so it wasn’t comfortable for them. Yes, they still rode their luck. But getting to the second ball lifted the crowd. People mention the crowd at Newcastle as a hindrance at times when you go there. The crowd will be on their backs after 20 minutes. If you’re a Newcastle player use it. Use it to your benefit, you can influence referees, they can lift performances also. When they see aggression, being on the front foot, playing completely differently to how they did against Manchester City, they deserve everything they get.
"It’s what I’ve been saying all along about Rafa Benitez. That win is why I think they won’t go down – because of the manager. He has an ability to get a result where you’d never have expected it. They go into the bottom three, Man United at home, you think they’ve got no chance of winning and they could be marooned at the bottom. They get that victory and that’s what they will do between now and the end of the season. They will get wins that other teams maybe won’t – because of the belief that crowd and that group of players has in the manager, and maybe the belief he has in himself."