Pierre Sage struck a defiant tone, insisting there is "no noise inside the club" after Crystal Palace succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United at Selhurst Park.
'There's no noise inside Palace' – Sage remains defiant after loss
The pressure continues to pile on Crystal Palace boss Pierre Sage after they suffered defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League.
The visitors went ahead two minutes after the break, with William Osula poking home Jacob Murphy's excellent right-wing centre.
Joe Willock thought he had doubled Newcastle's lead moments later, but his strike was disallowed for offside after a VAR review.
However, there was nothing wrong with Harvey Barnes' goal, with the attacker thrashing a close-range finish past the helpless Walter Benitez.
The Eagles looked to score a late consolation, but Lukas Hornicek was in top form to deny Adam Wharton and Dario Osorio in the closing stages.
The loss means Palace, who sit 17th in the Premier League table, have now lost five of their eight Premier League matches this season, only losing more in that span in 1971-72 (six), 1980-81 (seven), 2013-14 (seven) and 2017-18 (seven).
Their 19 goals conceded is also their second-most after eight top-flight games, after 1980-81 (22), and the pressure is piling on Sage.
"The boos are normal because we don't have the result. The noise is the consequence of the result of the team, and at the moment we don't have what we expect," said Sage.
"Inside, we are just really focused on solutions. How to be better, how to create the conditions to compete, and we will continue our work, and there's no noise inside, if you want.
"It's normal that people lose patience when you lose, because everybody wants to win. [Against Newcastle], it was not the case.
"For me, the noise around the team, the noise around the club, it's only noise."
For Newcastle, they have now won and kept a clean sheet in consecutive away matches in London (also 2-0 v Tottenham in August) for the first time in a single Premier League campaign since 2013.
The Magpies were clinical in front of goal, scoring with both of their shots on target on Sunday. Interestingly, in three of the last four Premier League matches in which Newcastle scored 2+ goals, they have scored with 100% of their shots on target (2/2 v Palace, Bournemouth and Spurs).
Victory on Sunday alleviates the pressure on Matthias Jaissle, who has come under fire from sections of the Newcastle fanbase.
"It was a tough game, especially in the first half. We couldn't get ourselves the reward for the intensity we put in out of possession after the ball wins," said Jaissle.
"In the second half, it was much better. We were more target-orientated, we threatened the opposition more and, therefore, I think when it comes to the second half and that improvement.
"In the end, also that willingness to defend and to have that clean sheet. It was a deserved win."
