IF SATURDAY night’s 3-2 defeat at the hands of Liverpool is to be Rafa Benitez’s last home game in charge of Newcastle, it will no doubt have been a bittersweet affair.

No manager wants to leave after a defeat but victory for the visitors keeps their title challenge on track, and Liverpool is a club with which the Spaniard still has such a strong emotional bond.

There was a clear tactical plan from the start, Matt Ritchie dropping into the back-line to create a five-man defence when the home side was out of possession and then trying to hit them on the break.

Twice they came from behind to level the score and in the end it took a fortuitous 86th minute header from sub Divock Origi to secure all three points for the visitors.

Errors from set-pieces were Newcastle’s undoing but for long spells they looked the equal of the tittle chasers — a testament to the work ethic Benitez has instilled in the team he has built, his tactical acumen and his integrity.

There is little doubt he would rather the red half of Liverpool, rather than the blue half of Manchester, is celebrating the title come this Sunday, but Benitez was going to make damn sure they had to work for it.

And he has already done a favour for his former club. It was way back in January, 15 league games ago, that Manchester City last lost a league game, in fact last dropped league points. The venue? St James’ Park. The opponents? Newcastle United.

It’s quite a turnaround from Newcastle’s first 10 games, when they couldn’t buy a win and accumulated just three points. This is very much Benitez’s team. Some used that as a stick to beat him with during the dog days of the early part of the season but now it is to his credit. 

His careful husbanding of resources, his eye for a bargain and the work on the training ground has seen him finely tune the squad to play the way he wants. It may not be the strongest in the league but Benitez knows how to get the best out of it.

The cult of the manager is a peculiarly British phenomenon. Success on the pitch is rarely due to one individual and is instead the result of the hard work of a panoply of backroom staff. Yet in Benitez, Newcastle have a truly world-class manager, who is clearly getting more from his team than could reasonably expected.

But the shadow over all this is whether the man himself will still be there to guide his charges come next season. His contract expires on June 30 and no extension has yet been agreed. Before the Liverpool game Benitez suggested recent talks with the club’s managing director Lee Charnley had been “positive” but he was also keen to stress that as of yet no agreement had been reached and that negotiations could run on beyond the end of the season. 

He remained coy after the match too, simply saying: “Hopefully in one or two weeks will have more news.”

He has a proven track record in the Premier League and with some of Europe’s top clubs. It is little wonder there has been reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille. 

Mike Ashley’s actions over the next few weeks and Benitez’s response will determine whether the shadow gets darker over St James’ Park or, if it is lifted, Newcastle fans can look to a brighter future.