Norwich head coach David Wagner praised his players for turning their season around after watching them record a comfortable 2-0 win over his former club Huddersfield at Carrow Road.
A poor run of form in the autumn had seen the Canaries slip into the bottom half of the Championship, but they have now won five games from eight to move to within two points of the play-off places.
Their latest success came courtesy of second-half goals from Sam McCallum and Borja Sainz.
Wagner said: “The players deserve all the credit for the way they reacted to that bad run.
“They went through a difficult spell but they stood together, kept their heads up and never felt sorry for themselves.
“They said ‘we are better than this, we can do better than this’ and have put together a good run to get us back up the table.
“Now we have players coming back and the challenge is to keep this going, keep delivering, like we did today.
“I thought this was another good step in the right direction – a good result, a clean sheet and also a good overall performance, which I was also pleased about.
“Sometimes when opponents sit so deep you can get frustrated when the goals don’t come early but we stuck at it and once we scored early in the second half I thought we controlled the game. We created a lot of opportunities and could have scored more goals.”
The Canaries took a deserved lead 90 seconds into the second half as half-time substitute McCallum headed in his first goal for the club.
Sainz curled in a second with 17 minutes left.
A disappointing Huddersfield side failed to register an effort on goal until the 87th minute, when the outcome had long since been decided.
Manager Darren Moore felt his side were punished for a couple of lapses in concentration.
“We had defended well in the first half, while we also had a good impetus in the game for a while, but we switched off a couple of times for their goals which is disappointing,” he said.
“For the first goal it was second phase from a corner and they put in a good cross which the lad has headed in. We needed to be concentrating better then because you never like conceding goals like that from set pieces.
“It was a similar story with the second goal and you cannot afford that against a good side like Norwich.
“I am certainly not complaining about the effort the lads put in today and there were times when he had the ball and got into some promising positions.
“When we get there we need to be more determined, arrogant if you like, to make more of our chances.”
Departing Mbappe backs Dembele to become Ligue 1's best
Kylian Mbappe backed Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Ousmane Dembele to fill his boots when he exits the club, after winning his fifth successive Ligue 1 Player of the Year award.
The France captain announced last week he will leave the Ligue 1 champions at the end of this season after seven years at the Parc des Princes, during which he became their all-time top scorer with 256 goals.
Mbappe has been heavily linked with a blockbuster move to LaLiga champions Real Madrid, but has thus far remained tight-lipped on where his future lies.
Either way, when he departs the club, the 25-year-old is confident his void can be filled by compatriot Dembele, who arrived from Barcelona last August and has recorded the joint-most assists during his maiden French top-flight campaign, with eight.
"I have shared and played with incredible players, like Dembele who is here, he is a friend and one day he will pick up this award," Mbappe said at the ceremony, where he extended his record haul of Player of the Year crowns.
"I thank the club as a whole, the coach, who has helped me and trusted me, his staff, the doctors, all the people at the club, the sporting management, the president, the shareholders of the club. I have always tried to do my best.
"Now, I'm turning the page in my life. Everything that comes next is super exciting, but that's another subject.
"I know that it was very important to my father that I made history in Ligue 1 before I left. I think that, with humility, I have done everything [he] wanted."
Bright recalled to England squad for Euro 2025 qualifiers
Millie Bright has been recalled to the England squad for the Lionesses' upcoming Euro 2025 qualifiers against France, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland.
Bright, who led her country to last year's World Cup final, is named in the 24-player party for the first time since October, having missed most of the season with a knee injury.
The Chelsea defender is joined in Sarina Wiegman's squad by teammate Aggie Beever-Jones, who will hope to win her first cap after an impressive Women's Super League campaign in which she has scored 11 goals in 15 games.
The reigning European champions, who are second in their qualifying group and two points behind leaders France, play back-to-back games against the French on May 31 and June 4. They will then host the Irish on July 12, before heading to Sweden four days later.
"After an intense season, we wanted to give the players clarity and help them to prepare in the best possible way, with the balance of performance and welfare as a priority," Wiegman said.
"We have had good conversations with the clubs, and we are grateful for their co-operation and support in helping the players to be fresh, fit and ready for two international matches at the highest level.
"The group is finely balanced and we know that every game is going to be tight, and we’ll need to be at our best."
Varane to leave Man Utd at end of season
Raphael Varane will depart Manchester United when his contract expires at the end of this season.
The France defender, who is currently sidelined through injury, is set to leave the Red Devils after three years at Old Trafford.
Varane has made 93 appearances for the club since arriving from Real Madrid in August 2021, scoring two goals, and was part of the side that won the Carabao Cup in 2023.
United occupy eighth place in the Premier League table with two games remaining in what has been a torrid 2023-24 campaign, and are in danger of missing out on European qualification.
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old is confident brighter times lie ahead for the club.
"It's been an amazing few years to play for this special club and wear that shirt," he said in a video posted on his X account.
"The first time I went to Old Trafford as a Man United player, it was insane. The atmosphere was amazing. I fell in love with the club, with the fans. You have to play for Manchester United to understand what it represents.
"It's going to be a special place for me for life. Despite the fact we had a difficult season, I'm very positive for the future. The new owners are coming in with a clear plan and a great strategy."
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