Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez has said his side has the momentum going into the final four games in the fight for Premier League survival.
Despite missing a chance to climb out of the bottom three following a 1-1 draw with Uefa Champions League semi-finalists Manchester City, Newcastle have put themselves in with a good chance of staving-off a second relegation in seven seasons, after taking four points from their last two matches.
They remain second-bottom, two points from safety going into the final month of the campaign as they bid to finish above Norwich City and Sunderland to avoid the two remaining relegation places to accompany Aston Villa in the Championship next season.
Benitez said his side will fight to the end after predicting the battle to avoid the drop will go right down to the wire. “Everyone is doing everything they can to try to stay up,” he said. “Hopefully we have the momentum and we have to keep believing.
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“We have more belief now and you could see that the players will fight to the end. I’ve told the players not to look at the league table too much, and just to concentrate on the next game. If they are concentrating too much on doing the numbers, they’re wasting their time.
“That’s two games in a row where we’ve had a great performance and had a great connection with the fans. To see the players perform like that with passion and commitment, hopefully we can keep that level in the final four games. We’ll keep going and see where we are going into the last game, but with this kind of fight you have to be optimistic for the remaining matches.”
Newcastle travel to one of the Spaniard’s former clubs Liverpool at the weekend bidding to post a third game unbeaten.
“Liverpool are doing well in the Europa League and I wish them well in that, but hopefully we can go there and come away with three points,” said Benitez, who replaced former England manager Steve McClaren last month.
Sergio Aguero’s 100th Premier League goal put City ahead early on, but it was cancelled out as Vurnon Anita grabbed his first goal for more than two years before half-time.
Argentina international Aguero became the second fastest player after the watching Alan Shearer to reach a century of Premier League goals, in just 147 appearances.
“I’m happy for him because it’s not easy to score that amount of goals in such a short space of time,” City manager Manuel Pellegrini said. “Hopefully he can keep scoring like that for the rest of the season.
“We did well because it was difficult with the great atmosphere provided by the Newcastle fans and their players were playing for their lives because of their place in the table.”
City remain third, a point ahead of Arsenal and five better off than Manchester United. Pellegrini made only three changes, but hinted at more sweeping alterations to his side for Saturday’s Premier League visit by Stoke City, which comes just three days before the last four Champions League clash with his former side Real Madrid.
“It’s very important now that we make some rotations as we play this weekend and then against Real next Tuesday,” Pellegrini said. “We didn’t play as well as we did in the victory at Chelsea, and that’s maybe because we couldn’t recover after playing so well at Stamford Bridge.
“Newcastle provided us with a tough test but we had chances to score a second goal to win the game.”
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'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
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Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
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Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
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- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
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- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
