Norwich head coach David Wagner reflected on a job well done after watching his side come from behind to beat Coventry 2-1 at Carrow Road to boost their Championship play-off challenge.
Second-half goals from Josh Sargent and Borja Sainz saw the hosts stay on the fringes of the top-six battle.
Callum O’Hare had given the Sky Blues the lead shortly after the break before they finished the game with 10 men after Liam Kitching was sent off.
Wagner said: “I thought it was a fantastic afternoon, both with the result and the performance which I also thought was top class, especially in the first half.
“We didn’t get the goal we deserved and then went behind early in the second half with a goal that was avoidable from our point of view.
“But the players reacted well and to come back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 against a top side like Coventry is a fantastic achievement.
“It was good the players from the bench made an impact and that’s how it should be. We have a competitive group so when we lose our top scorer (Jon Rowe who missed the game with a hand injury) we can cope.
“It’s another good step in the right direction and we now look forward to the next challenge at QPR next Saturday.”
Norwich’s scorers both picked up injuries in the early part of the season but now appear to be back to something nearing their best.
Wagner added: “Borja has shown he can score great goals but he also put in a shift, which was very pleasing.
“Josh has shown what a big miss he was for us for four months – he can’t be at his best yet but he is working hard and I am looking forward to seeing what he can do over the next 16 games.”
After a low-key opening period the game burst into life three minutes into the second period when the visitors took the lead.
Norwich carelessly lost possession on the edge of their box and Victor Torp was able to play in O’Hare, who tricked his way past two defenders before curling the ball past Angus Gunn.
The Canaries responded well and were back on level terms on the hour mark as Sargent rifled home the loose ball after substitute Ashley Barnes’ effort had been blocked.
The Sky Blues were forced to play the final 19 minutes with 10 men following the dismissal of Kitching for bringing down Sargent as the USA international prepared to race into the box – and the home side made the extra man tell.
With six minutes of normal time remaining, Sainz exchanged passes with Barnes on the edge of the area before finding the far corner with a delightful finish to settle a keenly-contested encounter.
Coventry manager Mark Robins felt his side were unlucky to come out of the game empty-handed.
He said: “I can’t help feeling hard done by after that – we played some decent football out there and to come away with nothing was bitterly disappointing.
“There’s no doubt the red card changed the game – at that point I felt we had a good chance to go and win it.
“We were still in it with 10 men but Norwich have a lot of quality and they punished us in the end.
“In the end I think it comes down to taking chances – we scored a good goal and then Haji Wright has had an excellent chance to make it 2-0 and I think it would have been game over then, red card or not.
“The keeper has made a save but he shouldn’t have had that chance. Kasey (Palmer) has also had a great chance at 1-1 but the keeper has saved again.
“It is a disappointing result and we also lose Liam Kitching for a couple of games now as it was his second sending off while Ben Sheaf is out for six-to-eight weeks.
“But we just have to take this on the chin – the games are coming thick and fast now and there are plenty of other good players in the building.”
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
Al-Khaleej 0-1 Al-Nassr: Ronaldo misfires on return as Laporte nets winner
Cristiano Ronaldo returned from suspension but failed to find the net as Al-Nassr secured a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej on Saturday, with Aymeric Laporte coming up with the decisive goal.
Ronaldo was in action for the first time since being sent off for an elbow in a 2-1 Saudi Super Cup loss to Al-Hilal earlier this month, with his initial two-match ban being reduced to one on appeal.
He missed three good chances as Al-Nassr threatened to fall further behind runaway Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, but former Manchester City defender Laporte spared his blushes by nodding Marcelo Brozovic's deep free-kick into the bottom-left corner with 68 minutes gone.
Al-Nassr remain nine points adrift of Al-Hilal at the summit in spite of their win, with Jorge Jesus' team unbeaten through 28 games this season as they close in on a record-extending 18th title.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo misfires on return
Ronaldo was presented with the Saudi Pro League's Player of the Month award for March ahead of kick-off, having scored four goals in three league appearances last month.
However, his sights were off on Saturday as he failed to net despite three of the visitors' four big chances, as defined by Opta, falling his way. He led all players on the pitch for expected goals (1.27 xG), shots (five), shots on target (three) and touches in the area (nine) without reward.
Huddersfield all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off spots decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation from the Championship all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
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