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Boss' Praise For Dynamic Duo
Written by Newcastle Utd
United boss Alan Pardew was singing the praises of Moussa Sissoko and Yohan Cabaye after Saturday's victory over Chelsea
By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Club Reporter
While manager Alan Pardew was delighted with the performance of his entire Newcastle United team in Saturday's 3-2 home win over Chelsea, two players in particular caught his eye.
Unsurprisingly, Moussa Sissoko - who struck a second-half brace to beat the Blues - earned plenty of praise from the boss, while fellow Frenchman Yohan Cabaye was just as instrumental in the memorable victory.
And the pair left Pardew purring after the final whistle.
"The whole team was magnificent, but Sissoko, it would be silly to ignore the fact that he announced his presence in the game, not just with his technical quality, but his power," he said.
"It's something that has been sadly missing from the team and I don't really need to say too much. His performance spoke for itself.
"As well as Sissoko played, Cabaye - it was nice to have our intelligence back in the team, when to go long, when to go small, when to keep the ball, when to try to get at the opposition.
"I actually thought he was outstanding. He was brilliant. You see the difference a lift can give, an injection of players, an injection of a victory."
Sissoko certainly made an impression on his first appearance at St. James' Park, and when asked if he had seen a better home debut, Pardew replied: "Not since I have been here.
"(Papiss) Cisse made an instant impact when he arrived, but lour fans, who are an intelligent set of fans - these people love their football here.
"They told me last time that they didn't like me, that my subs were all wrong - and they were probably right - but today, they know a good player when they see one.
"He didn't just give us the goals, he gave us a lot more than that.
"I remember seeing him at Toulouse about 14-16 months ago, and there are only two players that I have seen that I was desperate to get here - one was Cabaye and one was Sissoko - and we have managed to do that. Fantastic players, they are."
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