RAFAEL BENITEZ has revealed he suffered a nervous moment as he watched Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Swansea City last weekend – because the windy weather meant his television cut off just three minutes into the game.

Benitez was unable to travel to Swansea’s Liberty Stadium because he too unwell in the wake of an operation to cure an infection that followed hernia surgery.

While his assistant, Paco de Miguel Moreno, oversaw matters in South Wales, Benitez settled in front of the television in his family home on the Wirral.

But things almost went wrong shortly after kick-off as the Newcastle boss was forced to seek out another TV set in order to be able to see what was happening on the pitch at Swansea.

Benitez said: “It was a special situation and everyone was showing sympathy, I appreciate that. We won, so everything was good, but last week was not easy.

“I was trying to come back during the week but was feeling sick. On the day of the game, I was not feeling well. I was thinking, ‘What can you do for the team’. If you are sick, you can do nothing.

“I was in contact with my staff during the week and they were telling me everything was good. It was better for me to stay at home because of my problems. I was in contact with Antonio, he was talking with Paco, everything was fine.

“But there were problems with me staying at home because when the game started there was a storm, and I couldn’t see the TV. I had to watch it on another TV.”

Benitez will be back in the technical area as usual tomorrow when Newcastle host Stoke City looking to record a third successive win.

The Swansea victory followed a 3-0 success against West Ham, and the two results have helped transform the mood, with Newcastle having risen to the top half of the table.

Benitez said: “It is clear that everybody is now very positive. I am the first one to be positive, but also to understand that it is only the beginning and we have to carry on with things the same way.

“We have to improve in defence and attack, not saying we have won and that’s it. We still have to do this and that a little bit better.

“When something is wrong, it’s important to stay calm, and when something is right it’s important to stay calm too.

“This is another opportunity to do well and hopefully we can continue in the same way. We know the standards we want now, and every player knows we can win against anyone if we work hard.”

Chancel Mbemba and Karl Darlow are back in the squad for tomorrow’s game, with Paul Dummett and Massadio Haidara the only players unavailable because of injury.