Newcastle boss Eddie Howe refused to snap back at a dig from Chelsea rival Mauricio Pochettino after Saturday night's 4-1 win.
Pochettino was furious with his players after the loss, insisting Newcastle didn't have to put up a great performance to defeat them.
"Newcastle were not great but got an easy win. We had to show it was difficult for them. But it was so easy the way we conceded and were so soft in every single challenge," Pochettino said.
In response, Howe stated: "Biggest compliment I can give the players is we were ourselves today.
"The difficulty is when you have as many injuries as we have, you can become disjointed and lose your identity.
"You saw a Newcastle performance today, both in and out of possession, that the players deserve huge credit for."