• Premier League What They Said

Norwich bullied us - Redknapp

Harry Redknapp was disappointed with Tottenham's performance © PA Photos

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On a day that saw Newcastle pull level on points with fourth-placed Spurs, we round up the reaction from Monday's Premier League matches...

Harry Redknapp urged his Tottenham side to bounce back after they suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at home to Norwich.

"Credit to them as I think they deserved it. We were disappointing. I changed the system to 4-4-2 and we were too open. I thought they bullied us a little bit. It was a difficult day for the boys at the back. It was a bad day but we have to pick ourselves up."

Canaries boss Paul Lambert was delighted with his side's win, claiming it was Norwich's best performance since he took the helm in August 2009.

"It was the best performance in the three years I've been here, that is the magnitude of it. I thought we were brilliant, right from the off. If you sit back and analyse it, it is ridiculous what has happened here. The club was close to folding, you inherit a group of lads you are not sure are good enough to get out of League One. It has been three year building. To beat Tottenham in their own back yard is incredible for us, but the performance was right up there.''

Newcastle took full advantage of Spurs' slip-up with a 2-0 victory over Bolton, and Magpies boss Alan Pardew was full of praise for playmaker Hatem Ben Arfa, who scored a contender for goal of the season.

"It was a special, special goal from Ben Arfa and we needed that today. He can make the difference in tight games and not many players are blessed with the talent he has. It was a fantastic goal. He did it in the FA Cup against Blackburn this year. He will probably get the coverage he deserves for that goal. His goal, his performance and his workrate were magnificent."

Defeat left Wanderers poised precariously just above the drop zone, but the performance bolstered manager Owen Coyle's belief that Bolton can stay up.

''We accept Ben Arfa's finish was quality; for our part, there was a lot to be pleased about. 'The disappointment is we are left with no points, but what I do know is if we offer that level of performance for the total duration of a match, then we will pick up enough points to stay in the Premier League, and that's what we have to do.''

After seeing his side miss the chance to move up to fourth, Roberto Di Matteo believes Chelsea are clinging on in the race for the final Champions League spot.

"We're still in there, hanging in there. We knew Craven Cottage is a difficult place to come. We're getting closer to the teams ahead of us. I thought we were quite in control of the game, to be honest, and maybe we didn't pose them a threat enough for the second goal. But we were always in the leading position and I think the only way they could have scored really was from a set-play, unfortunately for us."

Fulham captain Danny Murphy felt his side were deserving of a point after Clint Dempsey's equaliser secured a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.

"I thought we were good value. At one point I thought we looked like the team going to win it. In the first half we played good stuff and felt a bit aggrieved to go 1-0 down. We did feel disappointed and that showed in the first 10 minutes of the second half. We were a bit flat but got a grip on game. I thought possession-wise we were as good as them if not better. We've played some great stuff at the Cottage. Even though it's only a draw, that's one of our best performances this season, I think."

Magaye Gueye scored his first goal for Everton © Getty Images

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Everton warmed up for their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley next weekend with an emphatic 4-0 win over Sunderland at Goodison Park. However, Toffees assistant manager Steve Round insisted nobody was thinking about their cup clash against rivals Liverpool.

"There is no talk of the cup, the focus is on the league. We have the chance to qualify for Europe through the league and that is what we are concentrating on. We had a fantastic January, credit to the chairman who managed to get four grade-A players in Landon Donovan, Steven Pienaar, Darron Gibson and Nikica Jelevic, and the confidence has rubbed off us on us."

Sunderland have not beaten Everton in the Premier League since December 2001 and Black Cats boss Martin O'Neill admitted his side were second best at Goodison Park.

"We were well beaten in the end. Everton were physically stronger than us and deserved to win. There wasn't much in it at half-time and I thought we were in with a chance. The first goal was very important. We could have done better. We looked a little bit tired. Everton were able to make some changes to their team. We've got lots to learn but it's been a big effort in the last three or four months.''

Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish admitted it will be hard to leave striker Andreas Weimann out of the side after his superb goal in the 1-1 home draw with Stoke.

"Goals talk and it will be hard for me to leave Weimann out. It was a fantastic strike. We needed a bit of inspiration at that time and it was inspirational. It came out of nothing and was a wonderful goal from a great young prospect. He is a good finisher and we've seen it again with that goal."

Stoke were playing their 51st game of the season and earned praise from manager Tony Pulis for their fighting spirit to salvage a share of the spoils.

"That's 51 games we've played now and the second we've had in three days. We lack a lot things but the one thing you can never criticise us for is a lack of effort. We were disappointed to be losing. It was a great strike by the kid [Weimann[ but someone said it was their first effort on goal. I thought we missed some great chances and Huth, although he's scored a great goal, should have scored off another set play in the first half. To come in 1-0 down at half-time was disappointing."

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