Newcastle: Four key talking points from the Magpies' 4-0 win - plus post-match reaction from Rafael Benitez

Matt Ritchie scored twice, with Daryl Murphy and Ayoze Perez also finding the target as the Magpies moved back above Brighton.

What were the main talking points at St James’ Park?

RITCHIE FINDS HIS SCORING BOOTS

With Dwight Gayle nursing an injured hamstring, Newcastle needed someone to step into the goalscoring breach in the absence of their leading goalscorer. Step forward Matt Ritchie.

The Scotsman scored twice in the midweek FA Cup win over Birmingham City, and added two more goals this afternoon as he tapped home a rebound after Yoan Gouffran’s shot was saved and stroked home a fine finish from the edge of the area.

Ritchie now has ten goals for the season, an excellent return from the wide positions, and is more than justifying the £12m fee that Newcastle paid to sign him from Bournemouth.

His direct running asks questions of an opposition defence, and he is not afraid to pull the trigger if he finds himself in a decent position close to the box.

SHELVEY STRAIGHT BACK INTO HIS STRIDE

Newcastle missed Jonjo Shelvey when he was suspended for five games, and having eased himself back in with an appearance against Birmingham in midweek, the midfielder was right back to his best as he dictated things this afternoon.

His pinpoint long passes add so much to Newcastle’s attacking game, and it was his long free-kick that enabled DeAndre Yedlin to set up Daryl Murphy’s opener.

Shelvey enjoyed even more success as the game opened up in the second half, delivering a superb through ball to set up Ritchie’s second goal.

The England international will be crucial to Newcastle’s prospects in the final three-and-a-half months of the season – as the last few weeks have proved, the Magpies are a different proposition without him.

A SPOT OF LUCK?

Newcastle ran out comfortable winners in the end, but things might have been different had referee Jeremy Simpson awarded Rotherham a first-half penalty.

Karl Darlow got himself into a mess as he lost control of the ball as he slid towards the edge of the area, and in scrambling to try to rectify the situation he appeared to grab Anthony Forde by the leg.

Forde didn’t go down, and moved the ball on to Jerry Yates, who saw his close-range shot superbly saved by Darlow.

Had Forde gone to the floor, Simpson might well have awarded a spot-kick. As it was, play was waved on and Newcastle were eventually able to celebrate a clean sheet.

SUCCESSFUL SQUAD MANAGEMENT

Newcastle’s squad is stretched at the moment, and today’s substitutes’ bench was as weak as it has been for a long time.

So Rafael Benitez will have been especially pleased to have been able to rest Yoan Gouffran and Daryl Murphy in the closing stages, with the outcome of the game already having been settled.

Benitez’s attacking options should increase next weekend, with Aleksandar Mitrovic expected to be available for the FA Cup fourth-round tie at Oxford, and the Magpies manager will hope to have made a couple of additions in the transfer market by the time the window closes on January 31.

For now, though, the likes of Sammy Ameobi and Jamie Sterry remain important members of the squad, and the pair performed creditably after coming off the bench in the second half.

MANAGER’S COMMENTS:

Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez said: “We knew before that it could be a difficult game in terms of over-confidence. We needed to start well and I think that we had the control for around 25 minutes and they were not creating anything.

"Then we made a silly foul in the middle, it was a corner and then we started having problems and they grew a little bit in confidence. It was a little bit nervy.

"Then we scored the goal at the end of the first half, then the goal early in the second half made the difference.  We had more control and it was just a question of time if we could score another goal.

"Maybe they had one or two chances on the counter attack, but just one was very dangerous and the others we were comfortable. We have to give credit to them because they were working hard at the beginning and it was not easy to create clear chances.”

Rotherham manager Paul Warne said: “I was pleased with the way we started. I saw Newcastle play against Birmingham and it was evident that Shelvey was the out-and-out best player and he controlled the way they ticked in an attacking sense.

“I set up to try and stifle him, but when we got the ball to try and play and have confidence.  It's difficult because we're bottom of the league; to come to a great place like this and a great attendance but I thought the lads competed really well first half.

“We maybe could have got a penalty when their keeper clipped out player's ankle, but then the keeper recovered to make a great save. Then they went up the other end and scored.

"The second half wasn't as good as the first half. To score straight away I think, if I'm truly honest, my lads wobbled a little bit.”

LINE-UPS:

Newcastle (4-2-3-1): Darlow; Yedlin (Sterry 80), Lascelles, Clark, Dummett; Shelvey, Hayden; Ritchie, Perez, Gouffran (Ameobi 64); Murphy (Lazaar 75).

Subs (not used): Sels (gk), Hanley, Haidara, Barlaser.

Rotherham (4-1-4-1): O’Donnell; Fisher, Wood, Belaid, Mattock; Smallwood; Forde (Kelly 87), Vaulks, Adeyemi, Taylor (Allan 75); Yates (Ward 61).

Subs (not used): Bilboe (gk), Wilson, Mason.