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Pardew Hails A Real Team Effort
Written by Newcastle Utd
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew paid tribute to his side's resilience and the Club's fans as they beat Everton 2-1
By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Club Reporter
Manager Alan Pardew was relieved to guide his Newcastle side to three points following a stern test of their credentials against Everton on Saturday lunchtime.
United triumphed 2-1 at St. James' Park in front of the Sky cameras to extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign to 11 games.
A John Heitinga own goal and Ryan Taylor's wonder strike put the hosts in a comfortable lead, before Everton hit back on the stroke of half-time.
The Toffees pressed hard for an equaliser in the second half, but Newcastle's rearguard remained solid and Pardew believes it was a joint effort between team and supporters.
"It was a difficult game for us today," said the boss following the final whistle.
"We started well - so did Everton, as you would expect - and there were chances at each end. But once we got the goal, I thought, 'this could be a good day for us here' because we were really, really on it when we scored.
"We got a second goal, a fantastic goal, and at that point we were brilliant for about 15 minutes. I don't think anyone could have played against us in that period, we worked so hard.
"Then their goal changed the game, and an injury to Cabaye changed it too because we lost a little bit of rhythm when he went off.
"They got a goal and you sensed the second half was going to be a little bit more of a struggle. They had players on the bench that I thought if they came off the bench were going to affect the game - Cahill in particular - which they did.
"They had all the big guns at the end, probably the best team they have had for a while, on the pitch, but our resilience, our defensive quality and the crowd got us over the line."