Alan Pardew praised the spirit of his Newcastle United side after they battled back to draw 2-2 with Everton at Goodison Park on Monday.
Newcastle manager pays tribute to Ba after Everton draw
Alan Pardew praised the spirit of his Newcastle United side after they battled back to draw 2-2 with Everton at Goodison Park on Monday.
Everton dominated the first half and went into the interval with a thoroughly deserved lead thanks to Leighton Baines' goal.
However, Newcastle were far more competitive after the break and salvaged a point thanks to a brace from substitute Demba Ba.
Pardew was impressed with the character his troops showed to get something from the game after such a disappointing start.
He told
Sky Sports: "I was proud of the second half because we were terrific, but the first half we lacked belief and I was shocked at how we played.
"Not many teams would come back and respond in the way we did so all credit to the players.
Angry
"Demba definitely changed the face of the game and gave us the mentality that we could win the game, and in the second half we gave a good account of ourselves.
"We have got great spirit and that could be a massive, massive result for us."
Ba will have been happy to prove a point to his manager after starting on the bench, and Pardew admits it is pleasing to have so many options.
"Sometimes players play better when they're angry," said Pardew.
"I can't keep everyone happy in this squad, there are still one or two who aren't happy."
