"We did not play well enough": Norwich now four points adrift of play off places after Blades loss

Norwich were unable to get past promotion contenders Sheffield United at the weekend.

Author: PA Sport StaffPublished 3rd Apr 2023

Norwich City are now four without a win after a 1 - 0 defeat to fellow promotion chasers Sheffield United at Carrow Road over the weekend.

A second-half effort from James McAtee, which the hosts felt should have been ruled out for offside, settled a scrappy encounter which produced few thrills and spills - but yielded a priceless victory for the visitors.

With Middlesbrough losing at Neil Warnock's Huddersfield, the Blades are now six points clear of their nearest rivals with a game in hand and in pole position to join runaway leaders Burnley in the top flight next season.

Norwic' play-off hopes are now hanging by a thread with just seven games to go.

Marquinhos' injury-time effort that drew a decent save out of Foderingham was the closest a misfiring Canaries side came to getting on the scoresheet, and head coach David Wagner acknowledged his side were some way below their best, even though he felt the United winner shouldn't have stood.

"I think for the final pass their player was onside but in the build-up there was a clear offside, a yard or half a yard, and so the goal should have been disallowed," he said.

"But I have to accept that we were beaten by a better side offensively on the day - we did not play well enough to create any clear-cut chances.

"Our passing wasn't good enough, technically we were not good enough and we just didn't pose enough threat in the final third. I can't complain about the effort the players put in, they kept going right until the end, but it wasn't enough."

Norwich are now four points adrift of the play-off places with seven games to play and Wagner added: "There is still everything to play for and we have just got to work hard on the grass and in the training room, to give us as good a chance as possible in the games ahead."

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