Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has blamed the tiredness of his players for Sunday's derby defeat to Sunderland in the Premier League.
The Magpies, who were knocked out of the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday, were beaten 3-0 by their local rivals at St James' Park.
"It looked like a team that had worked all week on the opposition and were fresh, and the other team looked tired - that was our team," Pardew told Sky Sports News.
"We were tired and lost our shape a little bit at times and were off the cuff. We were just tired in the mind and in the body. A game like that, you can't be. It took its toll on us this week."
The defeat has left Newcastle five points clear of the relegation zone with five games to play.
Written by
Jack Prescott
Jack Prescott
