Rafa Benitez reacts after Newcastle move up to 10th in the Premier League

Benitez's side all but secured their Premier League status with a stunning 2-1 win over Leicester City this afternoon.

Jonjo Shelvey and Ayoze Perez were on target at the King Power Stadium.

Newcastle moved up to 10th place after the win, their third in a row and first at the stadium.

Crucially, United are 10 points clear of the Premier League's relegation zone with six games left to play.

Leicester's Harry Maguire was fortunate not to get sent off for swinging at Dwight Gayle, while Newcastle's Paul Dummett wasn't penalised after Riyad Mahrez went down in the box after he challenged him.

"We're nearly there, but we still want to get to 40 points," said manager Benitez.

"It was a great game. We can talk about the red card and the penalty incident and whatever, but the reality is we deserved to win because we played really well against a very good team.

"It was important to work really hard and be organised and understand the strengths of the other team and try to stop them.

"We exploited the weaknesses of the other team really well. We worked great and the workrate and team spirit were great, so I have to say congratulations to my players.

"Everyone knows we are really close, but you never know in football, so you have to carry on. We have to stay as focused as today. When we get to 40 points, we'll be fine."