Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was pleased with the way his side defended in the game against Blackburn on Saturday, but he was disappointed not to have taken all three points.

The excitement at the game was a far cry from last weekend for both sets of fans who saw a 4-3 defeat and a 4-4 draw respectively.

Pardew said: "I'm pleased with that after the performance against Arsenal. We've had enough excitement for one week. A dull game is just what we needed."

He added: "It's tinged with disappointment because our performance was really excellent. We stood up to them really well and bossed the movement and passing.

"The only disappointment was around the final third where our moment never arrived or we just made the wrong decision. Perhaps we should have worked their keeper a bit harder."