Newcastle boss Alan Pardew believes Joey Barton's miss just after the interval was critical in the final reckoning of a 3-0 defeat at Liverpool. "I thought the second goal was crucial in the game," he said.
"We took the game to them after the first goal but couldn't quite find a moment in the box before half-time.
"We had a good chance with Joey (Barton) just after half-time and I would expect him to score that.
"If we had scored that would Liverpool have been able to break out of the slumber we have got them in?"
Pardew also felt his side were harshly done by with the penalty award.
"Unfortunately for us Mike Williamson made a mistake which cost us the second goal, albeit outside the box by the looks of it."
