Mikel Merino, the Spanish midfielder struggling to capture his early-season form, said: “The league has started, a lot of games have gone. We have to think about the next match, not too far ahead (about relegation). Nothing beyond that.
“We are disappointed, we know that we could have won this game. We know we have to give more than we are giving. The good things are that we have the chances to do it, we have another match on Wednesday. We are all together and we will carry on.
“We have to think positively, we have another match against Everton that comes quickly.
“We did a lot of good things against Leicester, we managed the second half mostly with our possession and intensity, but we must keep improving and the results will come.”
During this alarming slump Newcastle keep making mistakes. Another three saw Leicester capitalise and score three times on Tyneside, and they could easily have had a couple more courtesy of further errors.
Despite being a coach who prides himself on his tactics and keeping things tight, Benitez has seen his team concede 15 goals in the last five matches – and that sort of form, should it continue, will only end in one thing, relegation.
Merino said: “It is hard sometimes, football is about momentum.
“You will have good periods of momentum and bad periods. Now we are in a difficult period but we have to carry on and I am sure the moment we win one match then a lot more will follow.”
After Newcastle had started the game brightly and set a tempo in tune with the brilliant atmosphere, they were rewarded with a fifth-minute lead.
Jacob Murphy, who has talent but remains raw, clipped a lovely ball behind the defence for Gayle to run on to.
Gayle, playing as part of a front two with Joselu, then got to the byline and rolled a pass into the path of his onrushing strike partner who side-footed home his first goal in over two months.
But then Newcastle’s intensity dropped.
Karl Darlow, preferred ahead Rob Elliot in goal again, looked shaky a few times in the first half and his feet seemed to get stuck on the ground as Mahrez’s fine strike from distance went through his fingertips and found the net in the 20th minute.
Goalkeepers in the Premier League should be saving efforts like that, while Merino was also guilty of being sloppy in possession beforehand to gift Mahrez the chance in the first place.
After that Leicester controlled things in midfield and the movement of Gray, Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and Marc Albrighton was something for the Newcastle players to learn from.
On the hour Mahrez’s brilliant cross-field pass to Newcastle’s right flank – which teams are exposing regularly – led to Albrighton cushioning a volleyed pass for Gray to control and his strike deflected off Florian Lejeune and hit the top corner.
At that point there looked no way back for Newcastle but Gayle had other ideas when he was found by Merino’s header from the edge of the area with 17 minutes to play. Last season’s top scorer cut inside his man before his low strike took a touch off Harry Maguire before finding the bottom corner.
Newcastle were roared on for the winner but a quick counter-attack with four minutes remaining ended with Perez popping up in his own area to poke a finish beyond Darlow as he tried to stop Shinji Okazaki from hitting the winner himself.
Merino said: “The other teams can play, the other teams are good individually. We are having some mistakes in small things. We did some things good but the goals we conceded weren’t perfect.
“We have to believe in ourselves and keep going.
“If we keep going with our efforts and the fans see that, like here they saw a united team, a family playing football, and all together we will do things.
“Our squad is perfect for the Premier League.
“All the players here are capable. I believe in each one, that this team is a great team. We know we have lost again, and we are not going through a good period, but we have to make sure we don’t lose our minds.
“We don’t need to change everything because of six bad results, we have to be strong.”
Much stronger than they have been, that’s for sure.