Alan Pardew likens Newcastle United to Andy Murray

Alan Pardew has likened Newcastle United to British number one tennis star Andy Murray after his team's recent turnaround in fortunes.

The Magpies will be looking to make it three Premier League wins on the bounce when they host Liverpool this afternoon, and Pardew has underlined the importance of momentum.

The Northern Echo quotes him as saying: "Momentum is the key to success in sport. I give the example of Andy Murray. You can see at the moment that he's entered tournaments that might not normally be on his agenda, but he wants to win them because there's a big one coming up at the end of the season and he wants to be in form for it.

"I watch him playing tennis, and this is a guy in form, reaching shots he shouldn't reach and going for shots he wouldn't normally go for. That is a guy with momentum, and I think that's how managers approach every game.

"You want to build momentum, and we have great momentum at the moment. There's no way we could have won at Manchester City if we hadn't won at Spurs. The momentum is the key, so if you're asking me do I favour the cups or the Premier League, I favour momentum."

Pardew is confident going into the game with Brendan Rodgers's side, claiming that Newcastle United against Liverpool is a game with a "certain romance" to it.