DeAndre Yedlin: '˜We've had good times and bad at Newcastle '“ and fans have ALWAYS been behind us'

DeAndre Yedlin says Newcastle United are 'here to stay' in the Premier League.
Newcastle United's DeAndre Yedlin.Newcastle United's DeAndre Yedlin.
Newcastle United's DeAndre Yedlin.

The club is 10th in the table ahead of Sunday’s home game against Arsenal.

Newcastle are just two points short of Rafa Benitez’s 40-point target after three successive wins.

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United beat Leicester City 2-1 at the King Power Stadium on Saturday thanks to goals from Jonjo Shelvey and Ayoze Perez.

“It was massive,” said defender Yedlin. “It took us closer to our goal of 40 points and brought us up the table.

“We need to keep pushing. We can’t stop here, and we need to keep pushing for as many points as we can get.”

“We’ve got to keep pushing for as many points as we can.

“There are things that happen that are unexplainable sometimes.

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“It’s not a case of that we can relax now, even though we’re in a good position.

“We’re not mathematically safe. We need to keep pushing to be safe and for the highest place we can get. That’s the important thing.”

Benitez joined his players on the pitch to celebrate in front of Newcastle’s 3,200-strong travelling support.

United fans were still singing long after the final whistle.

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And Yedlin feels that supporters are getting rewarded for their support during a difficult first season back in the Premier League following last season’s promotion from the Championship.

“It kind of signifies our team and our club,” said the 24-year-old.

“We’ve been through some rough times this year and we’ve been some good times this year, and the fans have stuck behind us the whole way. They never gave up on us.

“It really is one team and one club, and we’re proud and happy to have them as fans.”

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Shelvey and Perez grabbed the headlines for their goals, but there were strong performances all over the pitch.

United worked as a team to stay compact and deny Jamie Vardy and his team-mates space.

“They (the goals) were both special in their own way,” said Yedlin.

“It shows the quality that we have, and, especially as a team, I thihnk we defended very well.

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“Those two goals take the headlines, but as a team we defended really well, and you’ve got to give credit to everybody.

“To do well in this league you have to have everything all together.

“I think the last couple of weeks we’ve really come together and showed that we’re progressing and that we’re here to stay.”

United – who have a game in hand a superior goal difference to many teams around them in the league – are three points behind ninth-placed Everton.

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And Yedlin wants to finish as high up the table as possible.

“We’ve had ups and downs this season, and just as quick we’ve got up to 10th, we could go right back down,” said the USA international.

“It’s a case of not giving up and keeping pushing for every single point we can get. That’s really important, because by no means are we safe.

“We’ve got to keep pushing and progressing, if not for us, then for the fans, as they want to see us finish as high as possible.”