Though they ultimately bowed out of the EFL Cup following a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat, the Magpies enjoyed the lion’s share of the chances at the KCOM Stadium.

Now, they return to Championship action against Philippe Montanier’s Forest, who – despite sitting a distant 17th in the standings – are the division’s second-leading scorers, their tally of 32 bettered only by United.

Victory will re-establish Newcastle’s five-point advantage at the top of the table, and Benitez has instructed his side to remain upbeat as they bid to bounce back from Tuesday’s disappointment in the best possible manner at the City Ground.

“We played against a Premier League team and for a long, long time we were the better team,” he said. “We had a lot of chances, and then when we scored our goal – against ten players – we have to manage the situation better. We have to defend better and be sure that we control the game at this point, because the game was nearly won, and we allowed them to score – and, after penalties – to win.

“Apart from the result, it was a very positive night – the way we played, the way we matched (Hull) and the chances we created means that we are a strong team. We can challenge against strong teams, too. It has to be positive.

“We said before that we would try to win, and we tried until the end. For me, we deserved to win, but the main thing now is that we have another game and we can concentrate on the league, and everyone has to focus on that.”

Though they have been nothing short of deadly in front of goal, Friday’s opponents have kept just one clean sheet all season.

However, Montanier’s troops approach the encounter on the back of successive victories, the last a 5-2 thumping of Barnsley at Oakwell six days ago.

United, meanwhile, saw their nine-game winning sequence brought to a surprise halt by Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, marking the start of what – so far – has proved a disappointing week for Benitez’s side.

Now, having been presented with an opportunity to recover quickly, the Spaniard insists his charges can ill-afford to let their guard down against a “dangerous” Forest side.

“Obviously, after winning so many games in a row, people were not expecting the (Blackburn) defeat – now, we have to make sure we go back to the good habits,” he said. “(Nottingham Forest) are a good team. We know the Championship is always difficult, but teams who are scoring goals and playing well are more dangerous.

“Talking to managers after every game, they are always telling you the same – when you are expecting an easy game, you have a very difficult game. When you expect a difficult game, sometimes it is easier. A lot of things change every week – the style of football, playing two games a week – so you have to be ready.”