Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew felt his side were the better of the two during their last-gasp 1-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Magpies produced their first win in five Premier League outings and just their second in nine fixtures since Boxing Day when Loic Remy netted in injury-time at St James' Park.
The triumph came at a very important time for Pardew's men, especially seeing as they has lost four times in a row at home, and the manager was in a buoyant mood at seeing his eighth-placed side move to 40 points.
"It was a very, very important goal because, although we have 40 points and are only five off Everton, who are meant to be having the season of seasons, in the scheme of the last few games it was an important win," he told Sky Sports.
"The one class player on the pitch was Loic and, although we worked with diligence and showed what we have done in training, it was a bit of quality that won it."
Pardew added: "I thought we should have had a penalty (when Leandro Bacuna handled the ball), and I also felt that we deserved to win.
"They had a great 20 minutes, and I am sure Paul (Lambert) will be disappointed that they didn't score between 20 and 40 minutes, but in the second half I thought we were better."
