FOR a manager often described as cold and controlling by some of the players he has had under his wing, Rafael Benitez has had no problem warming up St James’ Park. At the current rate, the temperature will have reached boiling point by the end of the season.

Premier League safety may still, mathematically, be out of Newcastle’s hands, but a third victory in five matches at Aston Villa this Saturday will set up an enthralling climax against Tottenham on Tyneside.

During his initial eight matches at the helm, Benitez has breathed new life into a despondent squad shorn of confidence. He has also got the crowd rocking and singing to his tune.

The 56-year-old - described as distant by former Liverpool players Steven Gerrard and Jerzy Dudek - has wanted the focus to be on delivering a result rather than Alan Pardew’s return; and that was what he got from a sell-out Newcastle crowd banging the drum in the battle to stay in the Premier League.

Even Pardew played along, opting against doing the post-match press duties. His assistant Keith Millen said: “I walked out with Alan and I think we were both bracing ourselves for a hostile one. We had been expecting it but there was nothing.

“The Newcastle fans realised they had bigger things to worry about than Alan’s return and they really got behind them in the second half.”

Newcastle might have required the brilliance of Andros Townsend’s free-kick and the penalty saving heroics of Karl Darlow to claim maximum points, but it was enough to lift them out of the bottom three for the first time since Benitez took over.

Both Norwich City and Sunderland below them, who lost at Arsenal and drew at Stoke City respectively, still have an extra match to play. Newcastle suddenly have the momentum and are showing the resilience and character required to stay above the dotted line.

Benitez said: "My feeling is that we are going in the right direction, we're doing the right things but it's not 100 per cent in our hands because Sunderland have a game in hand.

“We have to be ready for the game against Aston Villa, enjoy this a little bit but be ready for Villa. We have to win that and see how the others do.”

Given how quickly Benitez has turned things around and lifted everyone at the club, it raises the question of whether Newcastle would still be fighting for survival had they appointed him earlier than they did.

He said: “I think it's not fair if I say something about that. Always time is important for any manager, we are where we are and we enjoy this challenge and we will try to enjoy it until the end.

"There were too many problems (referring mainly to injuries) when I first came in but the reaction of the players and the way they work every day in training is making a difference. I can give a message but they have to go out on the pitch and perform.”

The players he sends out are certainly performing for him. They might not have been at their best against a Crystal Palace side showing no signs of slacking off having sealed a FA Cup final place.

That was what Sam Allardyce, the Sunderland boss, had suggested in the build-up, when he claimed the Eagles’ players would have been ‘on the pop’ since the semi-final win over Watford.

Pardew claimed the remarks were “pre-historic” after watching his team push hard for a result, but Newcastle were in no mood to buckle and celebrated a narrow victory at the end which could prove crucial when the final whistle blows against Tottenham on May 15.

From start to finish the support from the stands was there and it feels like the arrival of Benitez has given Newcastle a chance of entering a brighter future – but first of all they have to safeguard top-flight status.

Townsend’s arrival has given the team greater balance and a different, quicker threat down the flank. His goal, having earned the free-kick himself, just before the hour was of the quality England will cry out for at the European Championships this summer.

He curled a brilliant left-foot shot round the wall and inside the top right corner of Wayne Hennessey’s net to claim his fourth goal in 11 appearances since his £10m switch from Spurs, where he had scored just three in 50.

Before that there had been nervy moments, but the Newcastle defence was well marshalled again by Jamaal Lascelles and Chancel Mbemba. When Palace did find gaps, Darlow between the posts was strong and showed excellent decision making.

And with 18 minutes remaining he enjoyed his biggest moment. The Former Nottingham Forest keeper, third choice behind injured duo Tim Krul and Rob Elliot, dived to his left to turn away Cabaye’s penalty after Moussa Sissoko jumped with his hand in the air to distract Scott Dann when heading.

Newcastle dug in and defended superbly to secure the win and provided the 50,000-plus crowd with further reasons to be optimistic over the next five days – even if Jermain Defoe’s equaliser at Stoke has kept Sunderland in control, just.

He said: “The fans are amazing now. With me, with the team, hopefully it will be the same against Tottenham and they can make the difference.

"I was asking about the Sunderland score and they told me but we just have to concentrate on our own game and our own points and look at what we can do and improve.

“You can't worry too much about the others because you can't make the difference. I was just happy that we won and the way that we won. It's the same with Norwich we can't have any influence on them. The team has to be focused and we have to concentrate. We know complacency is something we have to avoid.”