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Premier League | Gameweek 38
May 12, 2019 at 3pm UK
 
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Rafael Benitez: Finishing tenth last year was "miracle" for Newcastle

:Headline: Rafael Benitez: Finishing tenth last year was 'miracle' for Newcastle: ID:358922: from db_amp
The Magpies could finish the campaign with a point more than they managed 12 months ago.

Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez has admitted it was always going to be impossible to replicate last season's "miracle" top-10 finish this time around.

The Magpies will bring down the curtain on another tough season at Fulham on Sunday with their Premier League status intact and perhaps even with a point more than they managed by the end of the last campaign.

The 44 points they collected last season was enough to secure 10th place on their first season back in the top flight, but they will run out at Craven Cottage on 42, eight adrift of Watford who currently occupy that spot.

Benitez said: "We didn't realise last year that to finish 10th was a miracle. This year, we expecting that, 'We finished 10th, maybe we can finish seventh', and it was impossible.

"You can be lucky one year or you can do really well one year, but to be consistent, you have to have everything in place.

"Also, remember Brighton, Huddersfield and us, we were promoted and we were more or less there. But when you have Fulham promoted or Wolves and they are spending £100million, it could be totally different.

"To be where we are now is a great achievement, maybe not bigger than last year, but it was more difficult, for sure, this season."

Newcastle guaranteed their place in next season's Premier League with three games to spare, although that looked a distant hope at the start of the campaign when they went 10 games without a victory and collected only three of the first 30 points they contested.

Asked if a 12th or 13th-place finish was about right for him team, Benitez said: "You could have asked me the same question after eight games and I would have been over the moon.

"At the beginning, you never know. Because the teams that were promoted and also the teams at the bottom of the middle of the table were spending so much money, I think it's fair enough.

"We did well. We missed some points in some games and maybe we were lucky in other games, so I think it's fair enough. I'm still not happy with that because I would like to be higher, but I think it's fair enough."

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3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
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5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
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11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
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