Newcastle 1 Anzhi 0: Alan Pardew says Toon can win Europa League after knocking out Russians

For the second time in four days he found a winner deep in stoppage time, this time rising to meet Sylvain Marveaux's deep cross from the right wing with the very last touch of the match.

"For a horrible moment I thought the game was over before he'd scored," said a relieved Newcastle boss Alan Pardew. "It was great it was the last strike of the game.

"It was really only when they got tired that the moment arrived and then Papiss did what Papiss does."

Pardew's team are the lowest scorers in the competition and they made heavy weather of breaking down the visitors who were reduced to 10 men after 55 minutes.

Yet it was Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez's sending off for his second yellow in 10 minutes which proved crucial, allowing Newcastle to take control of a game they had struggled to dominate up to that point.

In the first half they were wasteful in attack and at times slapstick in defence, threatening to throw away the match through a series of unforced errors.

Both Cheick Tiote and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa were guilty of giving away possession in dangerous positions and the team had Steven Taylor to thank for them still being level at the break. He thwarted a series attacks from the visitors blocking shots from Samuel Eto'o, Lassana Diarra and Jucilei.

Pardew changed Newcastle's set-up at the break and it nearly paid an instant dividend as Moussa Sissoko, who had been pushed up front to join Cisse in attack, headed over.

Following Carcela-Gonzalez's sending off Newcastle began to dominate with Cisse and Jonas Gutierrez both testing Vladimir Gabulov, who could do nothing to stop Cisse's point-blank header at the death.

"It's bitter losing in the last minute," said Anzhi manager Guus Hiddink. "But playing like this also gives us confidence for the future.

"If we'd had a jury we'd have won unanimously tonight, but it's not about how you play it also about how effective you are. We didn't have a lethal weapon. In the end they had one chance and scored one goal."

Can Newcastle win the competition? "Of course I think we can," said Pardew. "But we can't get carried away. We put one of the best teams out tonight, albeit with bit of good fortune and we do know that the next home tie will be another electric night."