Benitez was criticised by some television pundits for his defensive tactics at St James' Park in Sunday's Premier League clash, which saw the visitors snatch a 2-1 victory courtesy of DeAndre Yedlin's unfortunate 87th-minute own goal.
Jamie Redknapp, Graeme Souness and Shola Ameobi all voiced their concerns about the former Liverpool boss' negative tactics, however Rondon believes that his team were unlucky.
"When you play against teams like this, you try not to concede goals," he told 'Sky Sports' after the defeat at St James' Park..
"We did that in the first half, but in the second, we conceded a penalty and an own goal then they get the three points.
August 26, 2018
"I'm happy to make my first start, but it's a shame because we lost the game. We lost to a big team with big players.
"But we did work very well. That's all we can do in that moment - try our best."