RAFAEL BENITEZ praised the “character and commitment” of his Newcastle United team as they shrugged off a succession of first-half errors to claim a 2-2 draw with Norwich City.

Jamaal Lascelles’ 81st-minute equaliser salvaged a point at Carrow Road, and ensured the Magpies remained at the top of the Championship table, a point clear of second-placed Brighton.

Ayoze Perez’s first-minute strike provided Benitez’s side with the perfect start, but Jamaal Lascelles’ error enabled Cameron Jerome to set up Jacob Murphy for an equaliser.

Worse was to follow from a Newcastle perspective, with Karl Darlow’s comical air-kick enabling Jerome to tap the ball into an empty net, but despite suffering the frustration of hitting the woodwork on two separate occasions, the visitors continued to push forward as full-time approached.

Their leveller arrived when Lascelles volleyed in Perez’s cross, and while John Ruddy saved from Perez and Jonjo Shelvey to prevent the Magpies claiming all three points, the second-half fightback means they remain five points clear of the play-off positions with 15 games to play.

“The reaction and the character of the players was the most positive thing to come out of the game,” said Benitez. “Football is a sport where anything can happen, and that is why so many people love football.

“You can win a game 1-0 with one chance, but you can have 20 chances, make a couple of mistakes and lose. In this case, the players didn’t want to lose and their reaction was excellent.

“The way they responded to going behind was really positive, and to show this character is important. We were away, playing against a good team, but we reacted well and I’m sure the away fans were enjoying the character, passion and commitment of these players.”

Lascelles’ equaliser was a moment of personal redemption, with the skipper having been at the heart of his side’s first-half implosion.

He was brushed aside much too easily in the build-up to the first goal, had shepherded the ball back to Darlow prior to the goalkeeper’s howler, and was found wanting on a number of occasions as his composure deserted him.

However, he did not allow his head to drop, and his reward arrived with nine minutes left when he drilled home a volley to extend Newcastle’s unbeaten run in the Championship to six games.

“It’s always important for the team to recover, but when a player knows he has been involved in a mistake, it is even more important for him that he can score,” said Benitez.

“He (Lascelles) equalised the game, and the goal came at an important time. We were on top of them, we scored, and then we had a couple of chances to win. It was a pity they didn’t go in.

“I didn’t have to lift the players at half-time, I just told them to forget about their mistakes and concentrate on the next 45 minutes because we were doing well and we could win the game. I told them the past had gone, and they just had to concentrate on what was still to come.”

Both Lascelles and Darlow did that, and Benitez was able to leave Carrow Road satisfied with his side’s efforts.

They will have to cut out their first-half errors when they travel to Brighton, Huddersfield and Reading in what could prove a decisive seven-day spell in a couple of weeks’ time, but with his players having displayed an impressive level of defensive resolve in most of their matches this season, Benitez was not too concerned by last night’s lapses.

“We have not had too many games where we have made mistakes like that,” he said. “So that is why you cannot be too worried about them. Okay, it is bad, and it is something you don’t like to see, but because it is not normal, it is something we have to forget about quickly.

“We will analyse why it happened, but once we know why, we will just concentrate on the reaction and the positives to come out of the game.”