Alan Pardew hails "tremendous spirit"

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew applauded his team's effort and spirit after their 3-1 victory over Stoke at the Britannia tonight.

"On a pitch like this, you are going to get a lot of balls in your box and you have to defend them and we did as a team tonight. We showed tremendous spirit," said Pardew.

"Everybody was really, really good today. The disciplines we have in the team came through and we got a break here and there and we ended up winning."

The Magpies boss also reserved special praise for striker Demba Ba, who scored all three goals on his return to the club he nearly signed for last January.

"He's been brilliant for us. He's a great player and doesn't miss a day's traning."

The result moved Newcastle above Chelsea into third in the league and within one point of champions Manchester United.