Rafa Benitez has praised his Newcastle United players for beating the odds this season.

The Magpies have secured their Premier League status for another season. And they could leapfrog Everton with a win at Goodison Park this evening, a club that spent £153million last summer.

"The teams that were already in the Premier League had a massive advantage," said Benitez.

"They had the TV money and were able to spend on players last summer who could make the difference. We were not able to spend £25million on one player. Teams like AFC Bournemouth were able to spend £20million on a defender!

"They were able to spend when they already had a team that was doing fine in the Premier League League.

"Huddersfield, Brighton, and ourselves will have made a massive achievement just to stay up.

"That's because we have been competing against teams that have already settled down and had the advantage over teams in the last few years."