Newcastle 1 Anzhi 0: We’ve beaten one of the best sides, says Pardew
Newcastle 1 Anzhi 0: Alan Pardew claims his side have knocked out one of the best teams in the competition after Papiss Cisse's winner
Alan Pardew was thrilled with Newcastle’s battling display after Papiss Cisse’s late winner knocked out 10-man Anzhi Makhachkala at St James’ Park.
Cisse headed home Sylvain Marveaux’s cross deep into stoppage time to wrap up a 1-0 aggregate victory and book the Magpies’ place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Anzhi, who were reduced to 10 men in the second half when Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez was shown two yellow cards, came close to netting a winner when Mbark Boussoufa’s free-kick hit the crossbar before Cisse nodded home.
And Pardew was full of praise for his side’s performance against the cash-rich Russian side.
“I think we’ve put out one of the best teams in the competition if I’m honest,” Pardew told ESPN
“We just squeezed over the line and I’m highly delighted. We’ve had a very, very tough two games.
“In the first half we got the runaround a bit, but in the second half we got stuck in and we did it.
‘Papiss has stepped up to the plate and scored and got us through to the quarter-finals. It was magnificent.
‘[It was a] marvellous finish. Papiss did it on Sunday and did it again tonight. ‘It was a quality cross and he finished it off.”
Newcastle will learn their quarter-final opponents in Friday’s Europa League draw, along with Tottenham and Chelsea.
