Newcastle United were able to climb out of the relegation zone over the weekend after they beat Cardiff City 3-0 at St. James' Park.

A brace from Fabian Schar and an Ayoze Perez stoppage time goal helped secure all three points on the day, and Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles has since come out to praise the team's performance.

The Breakdown

"Hopefully we can stay out of it [relegation zone] now. We started the game well and then got the job done, which was the main thing," Lascelles was quoted saying by Chronicle Live.

"We wanted a positive week, and we got one after the Blackburn win. We set the standard, and we scored goals which brought more confidence to us, and to the attacking players, although Fab [Schar] scored two."

Looking back, it was a very professional display from Newcastle with Schar clearly the standout performer with his two goals and overall presence at the back.

Lascelles, however, can also be pleased with his performance in the relegation encounter, especially compared to some of the poor games he had earlier in the campaign.

Ultimately, with Newcastle not being an outfit blessed with a tonne of attacking talent, they need the likes of Schar and Lascelles to put in similar shifts going forward and to pop up with the odd goal.

Under Rafael Benitez, defence has become the team's biggest strength with now being the perfect time for Lascelles and co to show just that.