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Boss Beaming At Second Half Show
Written by Newcastle Utd
Alan Pardew paid tribute to his players for an outstanding second half display as Newcastle triumphed 2-0 over Chelsea
By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Managing Editor
Alan Pardew paid tribute to his players for an outstanding second half display as Newcastle United triumphed 2-0 over Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.
Forwards Yoan Gouffran and Loic Remy struck in the final 22 minutes to earn the Magpies a deserved three points at St. James' Park.
Following a solid, if unspectacular, first half United came flying out of the traps after the break and were duly rewarded as they climbed up to ninth place in the top flight table.
And Pardew explained the reasoning behind their gameplan.
"We decided to be a little bit more conservative in the first half because Chelsea can pull you around and you can run out of legs," the boss told nufcTV.
"But we had decent energy and I knew we could play a lot better in the second half with the ball.
"We did that. Loic was transformed at half-time and that made a big difference because we retrained the ball and started hurting them.
"It was huge for us because we put in a real shift and showed quality.
"That's what our fans want to see: us play with heart and with a bit of quality. And in the second half we did that.
"Our work rate, our commitment, our spirit and togetherness was great, and the players deserve a lot of credit. They took a lot of criticism this week and it isn't easy, so fair play to them."
To watch Alan Pardew's full nufcTV post-match interview, click here.