Brendan Rodgers was left lamenting Newcastle's extra bit of quality after seeing his Swansea side beaten 2-0 at the Liberty Stadium.
It stings, says Swansea boss
Brendan Rodgers was left lamenting Newcastle's extra bit of quality after seeing his Swansea side beaten 2-0 at the Liberty Stadium.
Papiss Cisse twice latched onto Yohan Cabaye's threaded passes to finish expertly and condemn the Swans to a third successive Premier League defeat.
But Rodgers had much to be proud of on a day his team again outpassed supposedly superior opponents.
And so, the Swansea boss was keen to focus on the positives even in defeat.
"That's why football is the way it is," he told Sky Sports. "It's a wonderful game.
"I feel for the players. Newcastle are a team that's done very well this year and they are now chasing a Champions League spot.
"But I thought we outplayed them today. Some of our passing and movement was terrific but what we couldn't do was put the ball in the net.
"The only thing that beat us today was quality.
Cisse found a way through inside five minutes with Newcastle's first meaningful attack of the game and undid the Swansea defence with a second break after the interval.
Dominated
And Rodgers admitted it was a blow after they had dominated the game.
He added: "It stings you a bit when you concede a goal like that but of course that's football and you have to accept it.
"In the early stages we had terrific control. One pass, we're out of position and they finish.
"What undid us today was that wee bit of quality. We had 20 shots, 13 on target, but we just couldn't make the breakthrough.
"I felt our possession and domination was good but just felt we needed to be a bit more inventive around the box. Maybe that wee bit of luck that we might have deserved.
"When you don't score you're always open."
Despite the defeat, Rodgers remains proud of his team's defensive record.
"We're disappointed with the goals but we've got 12 clean sheets - the third best at this level," he added.
