Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi believes his team did not rise to the occasion in the 1-0 Premier League loss away to Newcastle United on Wednesday night.
The Eagles had come into the match hoping to get a positive outcome but were undone by Miguel Almiron who converted a Bruno Guimaraes pass in the 32nd minute to hand the hosts maximum points at St James' Park.
The Ivory Coast prospect has further lauded the efforts made by the Londoners after the break, but it was not enough to help them get a goal.
"When you start a game like that in their place, you get what you deserve," Guehi said as quoted by the club's official portal.
"We were second best to everything. They beat us to every duel, every challenge, and when you try to rally in the second half sometimes it can be too late, just like [Wednesday night].
"We had spells in the second half where we looked dangerous, but they were really aggressive and they looked like they wanted it more today. They thoroughly deserved the win.
"The crowd got behind them, and they were more aggressive than us."
The 21-year-old centre-back has urged his teammates to bounce back to winning ways to stand a chance of ending the season on a high.
"We didn’t do ourselves justice [on Wednesday night]; we have to learn from this, and quickly," Guehi continued.
"It is vital – we tell ourselves that we have had a good season, but it’s not finished yet. It’s vital that it doesn’t peter out. It’s important that we get back to winning ways."
Palace are currently placed 14th on the table with 37 points from 32 matches, and their next fixture will be against Leeds United who are two places below with 33 points.