Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez had a new message for owner Mike Ashley after victory at Leicester City.

Ayoze Perez scored his first away league goal of the season with a glancing header as the Magpies recovered from back-to-back defeats to move 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

"You can do everything right with your tactics, but the other team has one player that can make the difference," Benitez, whose side have moved up to 13th place, told Sky Sports.

"You'd have to pay £30m to buy a Leicester player."

Benitez continued: "It was a good game against a good team. We did very well. Our players worked so hard. This relationship between the players and fans means a lot to us. The players and fans tried to do their best.

"As a coach, you always have a game plan. You can prepare however you want but it depends on the players to make the difference.

"The problem against James Maddison or Jamie Vardy is you have to concentrate from the first minute to the last. We are really pleased with the clean sheet and three points. You have to enjoy today and be ready for the next one.

"We had two or three counter-attacks that we could have had a little more composure and scored more."