Newcastle United goalkeeper Rob Elliot says they were good value for their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Mikel Merino came off the bench to head Newcastle to victory with his first goal in English football.

“Fair play to Palace – they are a lot better than their league position tells you. They had a great result against Chelsea, so it was always going to be a difficult game," Elliot told nufc.co.uk. “I think they did to us what we do to teams – in the first half they frustrated us and tried to hit us on the break.

“But, sometimes, you can't always win well. You have to just win, and I think that's the difference with this team – the mentality. We kept going, we got a set-piece – it just shows you how important they are, and it also shows that it's important to keep going to the end. We could have settled for a point, but we've pushed on and got the winner, and it's another positive result at home.

“It was always going to be a difficult day, but you have to make sure that when days like these come, then if you're not playing well or it's tight, you don't concede. And when you do get half a chance – whether it's a set-piece or a break – you make the most of it, and that's what we did today."