Rafael Benitez admits his heart is telling him to stay at Newcastle United following the Magpies' 5-1 drubbing of Tottenham Hotspur at St. James' Park today, as he soaked up fierce support from the fans.
Newcastle started the brighter at St. James' Park and their pressure eventually paid off in the 19th minute when Georginio Wijnaldum put them ahead.
A good move saw Moussa Sissoko find Aleksandar Mitrovic, who slotted the ball into Wijnaldum's path and he made no mistake.
It was then 2-0 in the 39th minute as Mitrovic himself found the back of the net. The striker connected with a cross from Sissoko to launch a powerful header past Hugo Lloris.
Spurs looked to respond and Harry Kane had a shot saved by Karl Darlow just before half time.
relatedNewsStory
The visitors did pull one back on the hour mark and it came from Erik Lamela, who appeared to be looking to hit a cross, but instead found a gap and beat Darlow in the Magpies' goal.
Then Newcastle suffered a big blow when Mitrovic was given his marching orders in the 68th minute, the striker going in studs up against Kyle Walker.
But Newcastle restored their two-goal advantage in the 72nd minute when Sissoko was brought down in the box by Jan Vertonghen and Wijnaldum scored from the spot.
It became 4-1 in the 85th minute when Rolando Aarons scored, while a fifth arrived through Daryl Janmaat just a minute later.
Newcastle had run out 5-1 winners, delighting Benitez, who must decide whether to stay in charge of the team in the Championship.
"I said before the game that I am really pleased with the fans, the staff, and people here", he told the BBC.
"My heart is telling me yes [to stay], it is a great opportunity, city and club but my brain is saying to analyse what is going on.
"I am really open to talking and see what happens. I have been in football all this time you want to be sure people love you and if you work hard that they recognise that you are trying your best and I have this here.
"I knew that every day when I walk in the streets. Everyone is so positive and the atmosphere today doesn’t surprise me too much. They were supporting for 90 minutes, I knew it would be like this and that is why I am so open to keep on talking", Benitez added.
