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Rafa Rues Missed Opportunities
Written by Newcastle Utd
Rafa Benitez rued the missed opportunities that cost his side all three points in the 0-0 stalemate at Aston Villa
By Tom Easterby - Newcastle United Club Reporter
Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez rued the missed opportunities that cost his side all three points in their stalemate at Aston Villa on Saturday.
The result meant the Magpies dropped back into the bottom three with one game left to play, against Tottenham Hotspur at St. James' Park on Sunday.
Aleksandar Mitrovic and Jack Colback were among the United players to miss chances at Villa Park as the already-relegated hosts escaped with a point.
And Benitez was left to reflect on his team's failure to secure a vital win, indicating that nerves could have played a part in the first half.
"I think that we expected to get three points, but it was a strange game," he told nufcTV.
"In the first half we didn't play at the level we wanted to play - we were a little bit anxious and made some mistakes, giving the ball away.
"We were much better in the second half - we had some chances, but we didn't take these chances, and that's always the difference when you are at this level. You have to take your chances.
"The way that we were playing, you could see, you could feel that we were nervous and that we didn't keep the ball in the way that we kept the ball in the second half.
"We had two or three (chances) - Mitrovic had a couple of them - but you have to take your chances at this level. When you don't have so many, you have to be ready. We pushed and pushed, but it was difficult."
Newcastle's battle to remain in the top flight could still go down to the final day of the season, but only if Sunderland fail to beat Everton at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday night.
Sam Allardyce's men came back from 2-1 down to beat Chelsea 3-2 on Saturday.
But Benitez says preparations will continue as normal this week ahead of the visit of Spurs, as their survival bid continues to hang in the balance.
"The idea for us was just to win. We were not thinking about what they (Sunderland) would do. The main thing for us was that we were trying to win, and we couldn't do it," he said.
"If they cannot win the last game, that will be crucial, so we have to keep preparing the team for the weekend and try to win."
You can watch the full nufcTV interview with Rafa Benitez here