Alan Pardew has revealed that he felt "despondent" for his Crystal Palace players after seeing their "superb" efforts count for nothing against Arsenal in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Eagles more than held their own in a 2-1 defeat at Selhurst Park, where Glenn Murray's late reply was not enough to cancel out Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud goals.

However, Pardew indicated that he could not have been prouder of his "exemplary" players after an unfortunate loss which left him feeling almost completely "fulfilled".

"I can't remember being as fulfilled by a defeat for a long time. I'm so proud of the players and I feel so despondent for them to not get anything out of the game," he told reporters.

"From the start to the finish we had a game plan to threaten them and give them no time. We were superb, but sometimes this game can be very cruel.

"The performance from the players and the fans was exemplary. We couldn't have done any more. I was kicking myself that we were 2-0 down because we had been so much better than that. We played the best football that we have done since I've been here."

Only a second league defeat under Pardew leaves Palace 13th in the table and five points clear of the relegation zone.