Norwich City's performance at Newcastle was worth at least a draw, manager Paul Lambert insisted after a 1-0 defeat left his side with just one point from the last four Premier League games.

'I think our play merited something. I'm disappointed to lose, like anybody, but I'm not disappointed with the way we played. We came here and took the game to them, against a team that's playing really well themselves,' he said.

'We've come to a team that's going very well and they've got a vibrant crowd but I thought we played really, really well.

'We started to dominate the ball. Possession wise we were excellent.

' Fox, Howson and Surman, their interplay was top, top class and I was delighted with the way they played.

'We never sat back. We tried to go and win the match and on another day we might have got something. We passed it very well and looked great at times, but it wasn't to be.'

The City boss made four changes after the 1-1 draw with Wigan and did not introduce his substitutes until the final 13 minutes.

The Canaries are 13th in the table but are still 14 points clear of the bottom three sides, and Lambert has no fears about being dragged into a survival battle.He said: 'I always am confident. We've got a good lead and we'll be fine. I have a great belief in the lads.

'I trust them 100 per cent that we'll win more games than not. I've got no fears whatever. That performance will give everybody a big lift.'

Lambert was unhappy, however, about the goal City conceded just 11 minutes into the game, Papiss Cisse scoring the winner for Newcastle.

'We switched off for the goal and it was a brilliant finish from the lad but we've got to defend better than that,' he said.

'We should have got tighter in the penalty box.

When you lose a goal that early, you're never quite sure how people are going to react. I'm delighted with the way we came back but the goal from our point of view was a poor one.

'John Ruddy made a couple of great saves, but as I said before, he's been playing very well for us and you just come expecting him to do it.'

Anthony Pilkington was the one injury worry when he was substituted five minutes from time with a hamstring problem.

'Hopefully we've got him off at the right time,' said Lambert.

More than 1,900 City fans made the trip to Newcastle for a 4pm Sunday kick-off, earning the manager's praise.

He said: 'It was brilliant. If there's one thing about Norwich you've got to travel a country mile before you get anywhere.'