Cheick Tiote has lauded the performance of his Newcastle team-mates in the wake of Sunday's victory against Liverpool but the midfielder cautioned he would consider his future at the club if they failed to qualify for Europe this season.

The Cote d'Ivore international has been in outstanding form for the Magpies this season, leading to speculation linking him with a move to Manchester City and Chelsea.

But Tiote has given his backing to Newcastle manager Alan Pardew and said that he would consider staying at St James' Park if the club secured a place in the Europa League or Champions League next season.

"Getting into Europe is the biggest thing for us now and it is very important for us as players and for Newcastle as a club," Tiote told the Daily Mail.

"There has been a long time where we have not seen Newcastle in European competitions and we want that to change. It will be a big thing for us to play in Europe next season.

"The first target is obviously the Europa League, but why shouldn't we be thinking about the Champions League as well? Who knows, it could happen.

"We have got ourselves into a good position, but any talk about Europe will mean nothing if we don't keep winning between now and the end of the season. If we qualify for Europe, I will look back on this season as one of the best in my career."

Last month, Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias acknowledged they would face an uphill battle to persuade the Ivorian to stay if a big-money offer came in from either Chelsea or Manchester City but the player himself has indicated he sees a bright future for himself on Tyneside.

"We are really pleased with the result [against Liverpool] because it was a big win for us," the 25-year-old said.

"Everybody knows that Liverpool are one of the teams competing against us in the top half of the table. They are having a bit of a bad moment right now, so they came to win the game and try to improve their position. We stopped them from doing that.

"We expect to win every game we play at the moment. We are in a very confident mood right throughout the team. Everyone is working very hard for each other and that is the main reason why we are doing so well.

Newcastle moved 11 points clear of Liverpool with the 2-0 win at St James' Park and are level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea. But Tiote warned his team-mates not to be overly concerned with the position of their top-six rivals and to concentrate on their own form in the last eight games of the season.

"We can't be worried about what the teams around us are doing. Teams like Tottenham and Chelsea will do what they do, but we just have to worry about ourselves," he said.

"It has not always been easy because I have had a few injuries and I missed a few games because I was playing in the African Nations Cup, but I feel like I have come through that now."