RAFAEL BENITEZ thinks Newcastle United have shown they are up for the fight in the Championship after emerging from another tough afternoon by reaching the international break with an extended lead over the play-off zone.

The Magpies remain three points clear of second placed Brighton but, more crucially in the race to the Premier League, there is an eight point gap to the play-off zone going into the trip to Leeds United on Sunday, November 20.

Newcastle have managed to build up that healthy advantage courtesy of the seven-match winning streak in the league – eight in all competitions – and the last time they enjoyed such a positive sequence was when they won the Championship in 2010.

Cardiff City made things as difficult as they could in the second half on Saturday, when there could have been no complaints had Neil Warnock’s side left with a point. In the end the Bluebirds only had Peter Whittingham’s 77th minute strike to show from the 2-1 defeat.

The fact Newcastle stayed strong when Cardiff pushed on and delivered plenty of balls into the box pleased Benitez, even if he accepts his team has played a lot better under his watch.

Benitez said: "It's more physical, there’s more contact and more direct football in the Championship. In the Premier League now you have more passing football and players with more quality on the ball.

“Games in the Championship sometimes are just long throw-ins and free-kicks, because now you can challenge and the ball will be there and it's 50-50. When you have towering centre-backs you have to have players strong enough and as big as them and still sometimes you can't win those challenges.

“The coach has to adapt like the players do. I've had it for a while, playing against Bolton and Blackburn, all these, although I never played against Wimbledon. It's a challenge we face more often, for sure. But we don't win games against Preston or Bristol City without competing, we know we have to defend well.”

Benitez had no problem with Neil Warnock’s style of play and thinks there will be more occasions this season where Newcastle must face similar tactics.

“Everyone knows when you're 2-0 up you need to score that third goal to kill a team off,” said the Newcastle boss. “We tried, we did really well but just couldn't do it. In the end you have to ensure we have the quality and mentality to defend and get the three points. It's better that you can learn your lessons in a winning situation, it's always easier to learn when you're winning.”

Newcastle took the lead in the third minute when Christian Atsu rounded off a good move involving Aleksandar Mitrovic and Isaac Hayden. Yoan Gouffran made it two, following a nice pass from DeAndre Yedlin, seconds before half-time, but Cardiff responded well after the break without returning to South Wales with anything.

The fact that matters from a Newcastle point of view, though, is that they remain in control at the top of the Championship. Benitez will have Matt Ritchie back from suspension at Leeds, while Daryl Murphy and Rolando Aarons could be fit again too.

The Newcastle boss said: “I don't know if there's that pressure on other teams to close the gap to us. Like us they'll go into the break trying to analyse their position but I don't think they'll be too worried we’re eight points clear, their focus is to win games every week.

"We now lose some players to the national teams, those that stay here will train this week for four days and after that we'll give them three or four days off because we play Leeds later. Not a reward, no it was pre-programmed.

“We more or less have the programme set for one or two months but we don't give it to the players until we're 100 per cent sure with TV schedules. But it will give them time to recharge their batteries.”