Alan Pardew: 'Sam Allardyce comments were prehistoric'

Alan Pardew has defended Crystal Palace from accusations by Sam Allardyce that the Eagles had been "on the pop" in the lead-up to the match against Newcastle.

The Sunderland boss said before Saturday's fixture that Palace would not be "mentally ready" for the game because they had been celebrating last week's FA Cup semi-final win.

"They're prehistoric comments," he said after the 1-0 loss to the Magpies.

"Three or four of my players don't drink. Perhaps he meant Coca-Cola."

Newcastle's win coupled with Sunderland's 1-1 draw at Stoke and Norwich's 1-0 loss at Arsenal meant the Magpies moved out of the relegation zone - one point above the Black Cats and two clear of the Canaries.

Former Newcastle manager Pardew did not speak to the written press after the match, choosing instead to make his comments to radio journalists, and giving television interviews.

Palace assistant Keith Millen also responded to Allardyce's comments.

"We made it a really tough game for Newcastle, who are fighting for their lives," he said. "Sam can say what he likes about us, but we know we are very professional in what we do."

It is not the first time Allardyce has been described as belonging to another era. In January 2014, former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said his counterpart's West Ham side played "19th Century football".