Jamshedpur FC head coach Owen Coyle stated that his team was by far the better side among the two sides and they deserved to win the match against NorthEast United FC in Match 101 of the Hero Indian Super League at the PJN Stadium in Margao, Goa on Friday.

Seiminlen Doungel (35’) gave Jamshedpur FC the lead before Greg Stewart (59’) made it 2-0 in the second half. But in the space of two minutes, Laldanmawia Ralte (59th) and Marcelinho (67th) found the back of the net to level matters but in the end, Jordan Murray came on and scored for the third time for the Men of Steel to underline their tag as one of the contenders for the League Winners' Shield and the title this season.

Report: Jamshedpur FC sink NorthEast United FC in a thriller to inch closer to semi-finals

This win sees Jamshedpur pull ahead into second spot with 34 points after 17 games, while NorthEast United remained second from the bottom with 13 points from 19 games.

Coyle addressed the media after the match.

Here are excerpts from his post-match press conference:

NorthEast United FC almost had you in trouble but you are now just one point away from the semi-finals. Is there a huge sense of relief now?

It's not a relief. We were by far the better team. NEUFC had us in trouble, that was self-inflicted. But the mistakes came from us it wasn’t a game of 2-0 it should have been 4-0 or 5-0. We were so far in front in the game. But credit to NEUFC all the way as they made it 2-2 but that only got us a little bit angry. We picked ourselves up and scored a wonderful winning goal. No doubt we were by far the best team on the pitch tonight, fully deserved the three-point, we should have scored more goals. And of course, I'm disappointed with the ones we conceded because there were mistakes that being said, we've been decimated by injuries again tonight. 

How often do you run the risk of having a hard time playing against an opposition that doesn’t have much to lose?

There’s always that danger because you know NEUFC were completely relaxed there's no pressure on them. All the so-called pressures were with us because we're desperate to be in the top four and be at the top for the Shield. But to do that you have to win tough games. So for us to come and get that level of performance, especially coming back from 2-2, it speaks volumes for us as a group and that's what we need moving forward. You know you're right we need another point to guarantee what we've got maybe is enough already but we want to get more points because we want to be up at the top end with Hyderabad FC and ATKMB.

What’s the update on Peter Hartley? Was his absence in the second half key to conceding those two goals?

Well, I don't think it's key to conceding the two goals, but I do believe that when Peter is here, we do look and feel a lot more secure. He's a leader, he's an organiser, he's a winner. And then that's no disrespect to anybody else who comes in, he's a top center back in the league. Of course, his knee locked in the first half. So we'll have to look at, that doesn't look great at this moment in time. And we have three games and within seven days. That being said, as always, we're going to hope we get him back. But that gives other people an opportunity to come in. So, whoever has always been asked to come has given his very best for the Jamshedpur FC and that's what we need.