Alan Pardew: "It was a great effort"

Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew has praised his team's effort following their 3-1 defeat away to Benfica in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.

The Magpies manager believes his side did well to take the lead in Lisbon, and insisted that the penalty decision against Steven Taylor was a simple case of bad luck.

"I thought we did so much right to get into a great position. We had taken the sting out of them, then we gifted them a goal," BBC Sport quotes him as saying.

"I thought Steven Taylor was desperately unlucky for the penalty; it just was not to be. I cannot fault the players, it was a great effort. We came here to have a go at them."

Newcastle took an early lead when Papiss Cisse found the net, but the hosts hit back with goals from Rodrigo Moreno, Lima and Oscar Cardozo to give them a two-goal cushion ahead of the second leg.