Norwich head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup praised his side’s battling qualities after seeing them recover from two goals down to take a point in a 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough.
But he acknowledged there was work to do at the other end of the pitch as he picked through the bones of a pulsating encounter at Carrow Road.
“In the past two games I have been so impressed with the fight the lads have shown,” said Thorup, whose side also recovered from a two-goal deficit to draw at Preston in midweek.
“In each case it was, ‘How can we get a result here?’ rather than the players blaming each other for what went wrong in the first half.
“You can talk about tactics all you like but they mean nothing if your players don’t show heart, passion and team spirit when things are
going wrong. That sort of attitude can only be good for us going forward.
“But today I thought we struggled a bit defensively and were opened up too easily.
“For a period of 20 minutes or so in the first half we switched off in too many situations and were too passive.
“We need to be more solid at the back and that’s down to me to prepare the players better.”
The Canaries took an eighth-minute lead through a Borja Sainz’s long-range piledriver, only to find themselves 3-1 down at the break.
Boro took just three minutes to level through Tommy Conway before scoring twice at the end of the first period – through Conway again and then Finn Azaz – to seemingly take control.
Conway should have put the game to bed from the penalty spot on 68 minutes but had his effort saved by George Long.
The hosts then pulled one back through Sainz before fortuitously getting back on level terms in the 79th minute equaliser when visiting goalkeeper Seny Dieng managed to claw the ball away from Kellen Fisher’s inswinging cross only to inadvertently flick it back into his own net.
The drama was not over, with Norwich skipper Kenny McLean sent off for a high tackle on Hayden Hackney – but the hosts saw out the final 10 minutes.
Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick was pleased with his side’s performance despite having not got the win.
“I feel really proud of the lads, even though we are obviously all disappointed with the way it ended,” he said.
“I think Norwich are now unbeaten here for a year (24 games) so we were playing against a really good team and caused them a lot of problems.
“We missed a penalty and they put two in from 25 yards – that sort of thing can happen in football sometimes but overall I was delighted with the way we played. There’s so much the lads can take from this.
“We have just played two top sides in the space of a few days (they beat Sheffield United 1-0 in midweek) and are really disappointed not to have come away with six points.
“As a team we looked well balanced, played really good football at times and were rewarded with three goals, but you can’t really legislate for the kind of goals Norwich scored.
“To come to a tough place like this and be really disappointed to only take a point shows how far we have come.”
Lucy Bronze refused to count Chelsea out of the Champions League after they went down 4-1 to holders Barcelona in the first leg of their semi-final in Spain.Ewa Pajor fired the hosts in front in the 35th minute at the Johan Cruyff Stadium and substitute Claudia Pina made it two with 20 minutes left.Sandy Baltimore pulled one back in the 74th minute, but Irene Paredes got Barcelona’s third wi...
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold says his late winner at Leicester, which put his side on the brink of the Premier League title, will live with him forever.Alexander-Arnold made a stunning return from injury as he climbed off the bench to score the decisive 76th-minute goal in the visitors’ 1-0 triumph at the King Power Stadium.It relegated Leicester and left the Reds needing just t...
Chelsea gave themselves plenty of work to do at Stamford Bridge after substitute Claudia Pina’s brace inspired holders Barcelona to a 4-1 victory in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final in Spain.Ewa Pajor opened the scoring for the hosts in the 35th minute at the Johan Cruyff Stadium after Blues keeper Hannah Hampton had saved a ninth-minute penalty.Pina scored her first with 2...
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has his sights set on history after his side moved another step closer to a sixth treble in nine years.A 5-0 Hampden win over St Johnstone set up a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen on May 24.Rodgers and Jock Stein have both completed two trebles, while Martin O’Neill, Neil Lennon and Ange Postecoglou have one each, and Celtic won three trophies ...
Trent Alexander-Arnold put the Premier League title champagne on ice for Liverpool after scoring the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win which confirmed Leicester’s relegation.Alexander-Arnold, making his comeback from injury, climbed off the bench to score the 76th-minute winner at the King Power and put his side on the brink of glory.The Reds will get their hands on a 20th top-flight title ...
Ruben Amorim admitted Manchester United “lack a lot” as their ongoing struggles in front of goal saw them return to earth with a bump in Sunday’s Premier League defeat at home to Wolves.Three days on from the dramatic 5-4 Europa League quarter-final comeback win against Lyon, the rotated Red Devils’ positive performance counted for nothing due to their futility in the final...
Mikel Arteta said he hopes Leif Davis’ “dangerous” red-card tackle on Bukayo Saka will not stop his star winger from playing in Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final against Paris St Germain.Saka was withdrawn just 10 minutes into the second half of Arsenal’s 4-0 win at Ipswich and had an ice pack applied to his right ankle following Davis’ late challenge.Davis ...
Celtic hit four goals in 12 first-half minutes to sweep past St Johnstone and into the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final.The holders wreaked vengeance following defeat in Perth two weeks ago as they won 5-0 to set up a return trip to Hampden to face Aberdeen on May 24.With Celtic needing just one point from their last five matches to wrap up the William Hill Premiership title, the final is set to gi...
According to a report from Fichajes, Tottenham are impressed with the performances of the 25-year-old Ghana international, and they are ready to pay €60 million in order to get the deal done. The player has 16 goal contributions this season and the opportunity to play for a big club will be quite exciting for him.There have been rumours that the player could cost around £70 million.It c...
The 23-year-old has managed to get his career back on track with a move to Marseille, and he has been outstanding this season. The former Manchester United striker has 19 goals to his name this season. According to a report from Fichajes, Liverpool would be willing to pay around €75-80 million in order to get the deal done.Greenwood will be hoping to play for a big club and the opportunity t...
- 1 Four Tottenham stars could leave this summer
- 2 PL side eyeing summer move for Rashford
- 3 Man City in pole position to secure Morgan Gibbs
- 4 Pop icon with £580M net worth makes appearance at Stamford Bridge
- 5 Big Brother legend Chanelle Hayes flaunts weight loss in red bikini
- 6 Ronaldo shows a side fans never see in tender video for their daughter birthday
- 7 Arteta makes exciting Arsenal transfer claim
- 8 Man Utd & Man City join PSG in race for Akliouche
- 9 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 10 Cole Palmer’s girlfriend Connie Grace dazzles in low-cut top and mini skirt