Norwich head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup had mixed emotions after watching his side beat Stoke 4-2 to stay in the thick of the Championship play-off race.
Thorup was delighted with a result which kept the Canaries just four points off the top six but irritated by the fact they let a first-half lead slip and made life more difficult for themselves than they should have.
He said: “I am a little bit annoyed to be honest because it should never have been a 4-2 game, it should have been a 5-0 one.
“Not for the first time this season we score a goal, then drop back and lose a bit of momentum. And then we give the ball away and they have a goal out of nowhere.
“In the second half it nearly happened again when we scored and then gave it away in a central area and they get a goal which is fortunately ruled out for offside.
“We made problems for ourselves and, with due respect to Stoke, against a better team than them it could have ended up as a draw.
“Having said that I was pleased with a lot of our play in the final third – it was a good offensive performance from the lads, we created lots of opportunities and scored some beautiful goals.
“When we are at our best we are definitely up there with a chance of getting in the play-offs.”
Norwich made their early dominance count after 32 minutes when Lewis Dobbin latched onto Marcelino Nunez’s sublime through ball to put them ahead.
Lewis Baker equalised against the run of play on the stroke of half-time after the hosts had carelessly coughed up possession – but there was only one team in it after the break.
Josh Sargent swiftly made it 2-1 after pouncing on a Stoke error and it was seven goals in six games for the American midway through the half with a cracking finish from just outside the box.
A Junior Tchamadeu own goal stretched Norwich’s lead seven minutes later before Baker netted an added-time penalty after substitute Million Manhoef had been fouled.
Stoke boss Mark Robins felt his side had let themselves down after equalising on the stroke of half-time.
“I though we lost our discipline in the second half – we let them drag us around and gave them carte blanche to do what they wanted,” he said.
“You have got to work within a framework – you can make mistakes but you can’t allow a good team like Norwich to do what they did to us today.
“We didn’t defend well enough, we didn’t win enough duels, and allowed them to walk through us at times.
“When you score two goals away from home it’s very disappointing.
“We gave them too much respect in the first half, allowed them to dictate the game, but we defended well enough and got our equaliser.
“But what I saw in the second half was not good enough.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. 23 years ago, Ronaldinho fooled everyone with 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 free-kick against England and a star was born If Nico Williams moves to BarcaTrent Pep Guardiola knows how to TURN ON the Cyborg! AN INSPIRATION TO THE WORLD! Fabrizio Romano shares his new Lamine Yamal bed on Facebook.This is so funny Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credi...
Andre Onana is keen to stay at Manchester United despite interest from Monaco, sources have told ESPN.The French side asked for information from Onana's representatives about his potential availability this summer.Monaco also showed interest in former United goalkeeper David De Gea before he extended his contract with Fiorentina.Onana, however, is determined to stay at Old Trafford unless he is to...
Liverpool could still enter the market in one of their biggest-spending windows.Liverpool are reportedly set to launch crunch talks with Crystal Palace over England defender Marc Guehi. The Reds are long-term admirers of the 25-year-old and could make him their latest big-money signing.Palace are said to value Guehi at around £70million despite only one year remaining on the former Chelsea st...
Liverpool confirmed the signing of Germany international Florian Wirtz on Friday evening.Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has spoken about the signing of Florian WirtzJurgen Klopp has expressed his admiration for Liverpool's acquisition of German international Florian Wirtz. The former Reds manager, who departed in 2024 and now serves as Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer, maintains close ties ...
Chelsea no longer interested in MaignanPer Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are no longer interested in AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan. They have not reactivated talks with the player and reportedly do not intend to do it later in the transfer window as they have confidence in their current crop of custodians at Stamford Bridge.Van Nistelrooy set to be sacked by Leicester after relegationLeicester City ...
Juventus, Napoli in contact with Chelsea striker JacksonSerie A clubs are interested in Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.Jackson's future at Chelsea is in doubt after he suffered another red card in yesterday's Club World Cup defeat to Flamengo.Sky Italia's0Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Juventus and Napoli are interested in Jackson.Juventus have0 already made contact with the player's management ...
Bayern Munich rival Chelsea for Borussia Dortmund winger GittensBayern Munich are interested in Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.Gittens saw a move to Chelsea fall through last week after Dortmund rejected their 342m offer on Tuesday's Club World Cup transfer deadline.Kicker reports that Bayern are planning a move to sign Gittens during this window.Bayern sporting director Max Eberl has left...
Frimpong reacts as Wirtz joins Liverpool in 3116m moveJeremie Frimpong has responded to Florian Wirtz’s move from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool, following in his footsteps.Just weeks after the Dutchman made the switch from the Bundesliga side to the Reds, Wirtz followed in a blockbuster 3116 million ($156m) move.0Shortly after the transfer was confirmed, Frimpong responded with the eyes emoj...
Rashford keen on joining Yamal’s BarcelonaManchester United star Marcus Rashford has expressed a desire to play alongside Lamine Yamal, seemingly sending a message to Barcelona to make a move.The England international has reportedly had his sights set on a Blaugrana transfer for a while. Now, the former Aston Villa loanee has arguably dropped a not-so-subtle hint that he’s eager to joi...
Quilindschy Hartman will join Burnley as soon as next weekFeyenoord have reportedly accepted a bid from Burnley for left-back Quilindschy Hartman.As Burnley were preparing an offer for the 23-year-old Hartman, the left-back was reported to have visited Burnley's training ground and met manager Scott Parker before the weekend.According to Dutch media, Feyenoord have accepted a €12 million bid...
- 1 Man Utd make decision on replacing Andre Onana with Emi Martinez this summer
- 2 Man Utd have Hugo Ekitike 'advantage'
- 3 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 4 Stunning Euro U21 reporter dubbed 'queen of Europe' in bold dress
- 5 DONE DEAL: Celta Vigo sign permanently Ilaix from RB Leipzig
- 6 Maddison and Wag announce they're expecting twins AGAIN
- 7 Seattle Sounders vs PSG Prediction 24 June 2025
- 8 Gareth Bale set to buy former PL club
- 9 Real Madrid reveal target as Zubimendi joins Arsenal
- 10 Neymar flaunts 'candy floss' pink outfit that costs more than a family car