Pardew: Barton miss was crucial

01 May 2011 20:00
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew felt Joey Barton's miss seconds after the interval ended up having an influence on the rest of the match as they lost 3-0 at Liverpool. Maxi Rodriguez had put the Reds up at the break but Barton slashed wide moments before Dirk Kuyt doubled the lead from the penalty spot. Pardew said: "I thought the second goal was crucial in the game. "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?"

Source: PA