The Blues had 77% possession and 24 shots – nine of which were on target – but the Magpies scored with pretty much their only two shots on goal.
The Catalan says his players worked hard against a side who were happy to sit back and around their own box for most of the game.
REPORT: Newcastle 2 City 2
“We played a good level but with the first shot, we conceded a goal and with the second shot, we conceded a goal,” said Pep.
“It is not easy to defend so deep. We created enough chances to score more goals, but unfortunately, in last action, they scored
“We had another chance with Raheem late on, but in general, it was good.”
On the ultra-defensive mentality of Newcastle, Pep added: “It’s what we’ve lived the last four years. We found a way and today, we found it again. but unfortunately, at the end, we conceded a goal.
“There are teams who play higher or deeper - not all teams play the same way.
“We play the same way as last season. The way we played today was at that level.
“We could not score all the chances we had; they scored the two chances they had. Sometimes it happens.
“The score at 1-2 in the last minutes, we conceded free kick we could have avoided. The quality from Shelvey made a difference
“The tempo was good all the time. We had to move the ball across more, but in general we did well
“They played like this against Tottenham, United… today, we found more space to do that.
“We have to accept it, work on our strengths and learn from this. It’s tough, but we have just two days to recover.
“It is important that in good moments, we are calm and in bad moments, you have to live them and learn from them.”
