Rafa Benitez reveals what his told his Newcastle players at the break against Norwich

Benitez's side held Norwich City to a 2-2 draw in the Championship tonight.

Newcastle went ahead after just 23 seconds thanks to a goal from Ayoze Perez, but defensive errors gifted Norwich two first-half goals and United trailed at the interval.

However, captain Jamaal Lascelles claimed a point with a late goal after a much-improved second-half performance.

“It was a great start to the game," said Benitez, whose side lead the Championship by a point.

"We scored the goal and had another chance, and were doing really well.

"After, we made some mistakes and that gave them the belief that they could get a result. Then, we needed to react and we needed a response. The way the players responded in the second half was brilliant.

“I didn’t have to lift them, I just told them to forget about their mistakes and concentrate on the next 45 minutes because we were doing well and we could win the game.

"I told them the past had gone, and they just had to concentrate on what was still to come. We did well."

On Lascelles's contribution, Benitez added: "It’s always important for the team to recover.

"But when a player knows he has been involved in a mistake, it is even more important for him that he can score.

"He equalised the game, and the goal came at an important time. We were on top of them, we scored, and then we had a couple of chances to win.

"It was a pity they didn’t go in."