Pardew: Barton miss was crucial

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?"