ALAN PARDEW defended Newcastle United’s attacking strategy that led to the Magpies’ fourth defeat in a row to Sunderland.

Newcastle were in the ascendancy in the second half before Pardew sacrificed Cheik Tiote for Papiss Cisse, in a bid to go all-out for victory on Tyneside.

But that backfired as Sunderland hit their rivals on the break and sealed a third win at St James’ Park in a row when Adam Johnson struck in the 90th minute.

While Pardew accused his players of over-committing at the end, it was his defenders who he was most concerned with rather than the attackers he brought on.

“The longer you go on in those games, there was a risk at 0-0,” said Pardew, who has never won on Tyneside with Newcastle against Sunderland. “As much as we tried to form a goal you are always liable to over-commit.

“If there was one fault it was we overcommitted at the end. We had to be disciplined. Particularly after the history of this fixture, Sunderland caught us on the break and have scored in the past and they did it again.

“This club wants to see goals. I will never manage this team and accept a draw at home as a positive result, regardless of who it is against.

“They gave everything and tried to win it. If you lose it - do it in that manner trying to push for a win.

“But we should still have the discipline in the team, without all of the offensive players on, to do the job. It wasn’t our offensive players, it was our defenders who over-committed.”

It was Newcastle who came out with fire in their bellies from the kick-off, but Sunderland slowed the game down and grew into it, edging the first half in terms of chances created.

But the Magpies started the second half the better side up until the changes which seemed to spoil the balance of the side, and it was from a Newcastle chance that Sunderland went on to score from.

Pardew, whose side has not beaten Sunderland since Ryan Taylor’s free-kick in 2011, said: “Of course it is painful. The players, after a first half where we got wrapped up in the emotion of the derby, gave too many fouls away, there were some strange moments in that first half, the passion got on top of us, second half we were a lot more controlled.

“We started to play, and caused them problems and created chances.

“There were some great performances for both teams. It was one of the better derbies I have been involved in.

“Sunderland were controlled and just edged the first half, but we came into it and I thought we did enough to win it.

“The first goal was critical but we didn’t get it.”

Newcastle go into Boxing Day’s game at Manchester United without Tiote, who received his fifth yellow card of the season and is suspended, and Pardew admitted his players were licking their wounds after defeat to their closest rivals.

“It was a key game,” said Pardew. “The two fixtures we had - Arsenal and Spurs - were difficult. This game compounds that.

“We have to lick our wounds and prepare for Manchester United. This is a critical fixture so losing it is disappointing. We are still in a healthy place in the league. Our job now is to build on that.

“You could see at the end the players’ emotion. They gave it everything. I don’t think you could argue with that, that they didn’t give everything. Sometimes you don’t get your just desserts.

“I can only take it game by game. The performance was to an extent a good performance. On another day we would have won.”

Sunderland’s victory at St James’ Park continues a remarkable record for Gus Poyet, who has won all five games as a manager against Newcastle – two for Brighton and Hove Albion and three as Sunderland manager.

But Pardew was not in the mood to discuss the Uruguayan’s record, saying simply: “It is a good day for Gus and not for us.”