Here is the reaction of the two managers.
Roberto Martinez
It was a very scrappy game and we were poor, not up to the level we know we can achieve and there were a few reasons for that. After a slow start we were starting to show a little bit of a threat and creating opportunities, but it was one of those games where the first goal was going to be very important.
We couldn't find a way to be ourselves, to impose ourselves, and to keep the ball. It was scrappy and we were looking for a bit of hope rather than a controlled performance.
With the amount of games we've played, we try to play at a high intensity and Wednesday's performance took a lot out of us. We have four important injuries and a suspension, so there's a lot of pressure on the players out there and they didn't have the energy to impose ourselves. Newcastle's goal came from our mistake and it's one of those games where everything went away from us.
Alan Pardew
We worked hard and were disciplined and did the right things at the right times. A 1-0 away win, you take those and it's a good victory for us. The group has shown all season we're of good character and some of the disciplines we showed (at Wigan) were first class.
The most important message for a club as big as us is that we should expect to win every game, regardless of the opposition, and then we see where we fall. It was a very scrappy game and we were poor, not up to the level we know we can achieve and there were a few reasons for that.
After a slow start we were starting to show a little bit of a threat and creating opportunities, but it was one of those games where the first goal was going to be very important.
We couldn't find a way to be ourselves, to impose ourselves, and to keep the ball. It was scrappy and we were looking for a bit of hope rather than a controlled performance.
The table
| Latest match Sunday, 2nd January 2011 |
Pld | Home | Away | Overall | Pts | GD | |||||||||||||||||
| W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | |||||||||
| 1 | Manchester United | 19 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 41 | 18 | 41 | +23 | ||||
| 2 | Manchester City | 21 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 16 | 41 | +17 | ||||
| 3 | Arsenal | 20 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 22 | 39 | +20 | ||||
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 30 | 23 | 36 | +7 | ||||
| 5 | Chelsea | 20 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 36 | 18 | 35 | +18 | ||||
| 6 | Sunderland | 21 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 24 | 22 | 30 | +2 | ||||
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers | 21 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 33 | 28 | 29 | +5 | ||||
| 8 | Stoke City | 20 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 25 | 24 | 27 | +1 | ||||
| 9 | Liverpool | 19 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 23 | 24 | 25 | -1 | ||||
| 10 | Newcastle United | 20 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 29 | 31 | 25 | -2 | ||||
| 11 | Blackpool | 18 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 26 | 30 | 25 | -4 | ||||
| 12 | Blackburn Rovers | 21 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 25 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 26 | 34 | 25 | -8 | ||||
| 13 | Everton | 20 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 21 | 24 | 22 | -3 | ||||
| 14 | West Bromwich Albion | 20 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 26 | 36 | 22 | -10 | ||||
| 15 | Aston Villa | 20 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 37 | 21 | -14 | ||||
| 16 | West Ham United | 21 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 22 | 33 | 20 | -11 | ||||
| 17 | Wigan Athletic | 20 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 32 | 20 | -15 | ||||
| 18 | Fulham | 20 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 24 | 19 | -5 | ||||
| 19 | Birmingham City | 19 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 19 | -6 | ||||
| 20 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 20 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 20 | 34 | 18 | -14 | ||||
Next game
Next up for the Latics is the short trip to Horwich to face Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday evening. With the Trotters performing well this local derby will be a tough fixture for Roberto Martinez' men.