David Wagner has “no concern” about the possibility of Jon Rowe leaving Norwich this month after the young winger underlined why he is so highly-rated with a moment of magic at Hull.

Rowe has reportedly been courting interest from West Ham and Aston Villa and the 20-year-old took his tally for the season to a dozen in all competitions with a fabulous solo goal at the MKM Stadium.

After dispossessing Tyler Morton, Rowe jinked forwards then ghosted past a couple of defenders before dispatching a shot with the outside of his right boot, which arced past Ryan Allsop and into the net.

While he helped Norwich record a 2-1 victory to move to within two points and places of the Sky Bet Championship play-offs, interest in Rowe may now increase following his latest star showing.

But when asked how hard it will be to keep hold of Rowe in this transfer window, Wagner said: “I have no concern that there is any problems.”

The Norwich manager was impressed with the overall display of a player who only made his first senior start in the reverse fixture at the outset of the season in August – which the Canaries also won 2-1.

Wagner added: “Obviously the goal was great, this is what he can produce. We have seen this a few times this season. I liked it a lot but what I liked as well was how he worked and defended.

“The effort and the shift he put in defensively for the team was technically very smart. He really supported his full-back, it was a good performance from him.

“If you consider he’s quite young and he made his first senior start at the beginning of the season, it makes it more interesting.”

Christian Fassnacht, who replaced Rowe in the closing stages, struck in the 88th minute and even though Morton’s injury-time screamer set up a grandstand finale, Norwich clung on for a first win of 2024.

After Hull slipped to a fourth defeat in five matches and missed out on a chance to move into the top six, boss Liam Rosenior admitted his frustration with referee Andrew Kitchen.

Norwich defender Dimitrios Giannoulis was perhaps lucky to avoid a red card moments before Rowe’s 36th-minute opener after swinging an arm at Lewie Coyle, while Aaron Connolly was substituted earlier having suffered a concussion.

A collision with visiting goalkeeper Angus Gunn left Connolly needing treatment before he was withdrawn after a quarter of an hour but what especially irked Rosenior was that Norwich were awarded a free-kick from the incident.

Rosenior said: “I can understand why the goalkeeper’s come out, I don’t know if you can punish him because they’re both going for the ball but it’s clearly our free-kick at the least.

“For us to be penalised for that pretty much sums up how I feel the refereeing decisions have gone against us this season. I thought his performance helped them in every aspect of the game.

“We wanted to play football, we wanted to restart the game, they wanted to slow the game down and make tactical fouls and the referee bought every single one.”

David Wagner criticised his Norwich players for ‘losing their heads’ and ‘doing everything wrong’ as they slipped to a second consecutive 1-0 defeat in a fiery Championship clash at 10-man Millwall.

Tom Bradshaw grabbed the decisive strike in the first half at a rocking Den as the Canaries were unable to convert sustained spells of possession into clear-cut chances.

Millwall saw George Saville shown a late red card for a cynical lunge on Jonathan Rowe after Ashley Barnes and Jake Cooper had both been booked for a pair of hot-headed altercations.

Norwich had winger Borja Sainz sent off at West Brom on Boxing Day and “angry” boss Wagner insists his team’s discipline proved fatal once again under the Friday night lights.

Wagner, whose side now sit five points away from the play-off places, said: “It was just not good enough – it was a deserved defeat at the end of the day.

“It was intense but you have to be calm, do your stuff and play football – not get dragged into the situation and get the crowd on their side.

“We’ve done more or less everything wrong when you play here, especially at Millwall away, we fought with them more than we played and we played into their cards.

“Our experienced players know exactly what it’s about here, but we lost our head and this is what makes me really angry.

“How we started, we were able to get something out of this game.

“It’s frustrating and disappointing – we started well, were good and created our moments.

“Then we conceded after a counter and totally lost the focus. We didn’t play in the right areas and never really went forward in the right areas.”

City started brightly as Barnes shot straight at Matija Sarkic and Hwang Ui-jo fired wide of the post.

But it was the hosts who took the lead in the 18th minute when Bradshaw slid in from close range after Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s inviting low delivery across the face of goal.

Angus Gunn pulled off a brilliant pair of acrobatic saves to deny both Zian Flemming and Aidomo Emakhu either side of the break.

Tempers flared on the hour mark when Barnes and Cooper were booked and the atmosphere in Bermondsey reached boiling point.

Gunn once again kept City in it with a flying stop to deny Ryan Longman before Saville saw red with two minutes remaining for a challenge on a rampaging Rowe.

Millwall are now unbeaten in four after back-to-back wins and sit eight points clear of the Championship drop zone.

Boss Joe Edwards said: “That was a pleasure to be a part of.

“It hadn’t been what it should be at The Den so it was one of the big objectives to put it right.

“It took a bit longer than we would have liked – we want a certain atmosphere and energy from the fans but it’s our job to create that.

“The fans could see from the off that our desire and energy was there, it was what we wanted to be.

“It was very difficult for Norwich to play and when it got heated in the second half, it kicked everyone on even more.

“When we then go down to 10 and we have to ride it out, the fans have to help us get through that – it was a brilliant night for us.

“Millwall away is not a fixture people look forward to playing in. We want to add an element of control and quality to our game in possession, but we don’t want to do that at the cost of that fight and aggression.”

Tom Bradshaw’s first-half strike helped Millwall extend their unbeaten run to four Championship matches with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Norwich at The Den.

The Lions striker netted his second goal in two games to inflict back-to-back defeats on David Wagner’s inconsistent Canaries.

City dominated possession throughout the first half but went into the break behind after Bradshaw poked home from close range after 18 minutes.

Wagner’s side continued to lack creativity across a toothless festive performance as Joe Edwards’ hosts survived a late George Saville red card to hold on and climb eight points clear of the drop zone.

Wagner rang the changes from City’s Boxing Day defeat at West Brom as Ben Gibson, Danny Batth, Christian Fassnacht, Onel Hernandez and Hwang Ui-jo all started in a surprise away XI.

While for Millwall, Shaun Hutchinson, Murray Wallace and Zian Flemming all came in after the Lions’ much-needed 2-0 against QPR.

The visitors started brightly as Ashley Barnes shot straight at Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic and Hwang fired wide of the post from range.

And Korean striker Hwang almost emulated his stunning 30-yard strike against Watford last month when his free-kick whistled ferociously past a post.

But it was the hosts who took the lead against the run of play when Bradshaw slid in from close range after Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s inviting low delivery across the face of goal.

City responded by enjoying several sustained spells of possession but continued to lack ideas when in the final third.

And Millwall almost punished them on the stroke of half-time when Angus Gunn pulled off a brilliant acrobatic save to deny Flemming’s venomous goalbound effort.

The Lions looked lively straight after the break as Aidomo Emakhu stung the palms of Gunn once again with a rising near-post piledriver.

And Norton-Cuffy missed a golden opportunity to double their advantage when he inexplicably headed straight at the Norwich goalkeeper while completely free in the box.

Tempers flared on the hour mark when Barnes and Jake Cooper were booked for a pair of separate altercations that saw both sets of players clash and the atmosphere in Bermondsey reach boiling point.

Wagner threw on attacking trio Jonathan Rowe, Adam Idah and Marcelino Nunez shortly after and in-form winger Rowe injected some immediate impetus down the left-hand side.

But City continued to struggle for any cutting edge as Millwall battled bravely against prolonged periods of pressure out of possession.

The contest became increasingly end-to-end as City pressed for a leveller and Bradshaw came close to grabbing another when he fired over from a tight angle.

Gunn once again kept City in it with a flying save to deny Ryan Longman before Saville saw red with two minutes remaining for a cynical late lunge on a rampaging Rowe.

City rallied for a late equaliser but suffered another defeat on the road as Millwall took a significant further step towards Championship safety.

Norwich head coach David Wagner admitted he would be having words with Borja Sainz, whose early red card potentially cost his side in the 1-0 Championship defeat against West Brom at The Hawthorns.

Winger Sainz was sent off in the 34th minute for two bookable offences within five minutes – the second for a needless dissent – after twice going close to giving the Canaries the lead.

Brandon Thomas-Asante’s 50th-minute goal sealed the points for the Baggies, who cemented their place of fifth in the table

“When you’re on a booking, you can’t ask for another yellow,” said Wagner, whose side lost their five-match unbeaten run as a result.

“Everyone knows this – this rule has not been since yesterday and this rule exists all over the world.

“So it’s something you can’t do, especially if you’ve been booked and this is why – even if it’s a harsh decision – it was the correct decision and there is no one to blame but Borja himself.

“I have to speak with him and I will do, for sure, but officially and not in public.

“If he takes what’s right out of this situation – and I’ll make sure he takes what’s right – it will be another step in his progression.

“We’ll support him but it’s my job to speak about the truth as well.”

Wagner stopped short of saying the dismissal cost Norwich the game, but it made for a change of plan at half-time.

“On one side, yes it changed the game and cost us the game, but on the other side, it doesn’t mean that you are automatically not without an chance,” he added.

“I said at half-time: ‘Is it difficult? Yes, super difficult. Is it possible? It is, so let’s go for it’.”

West Brom wasted chances galore before Thomas-Asante’s winner, with John Swift missing six openings, including hitting the post and missing a kick in front of goal.

But Norwich could have snatched an equaliser but for goalkeeper Alex Palmer keeping out substitute Ui-Jo Hwang’s shot in the 77th minute.

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan felt his side were on top, regardless of the sending off.

“The result was fair, from the way the game was going against 11 players and the way it went when we were against 10,” he said.

“I know the group wanted to take responsibility when they think something hasn’t gone well and we never want to make excuses.”

Thomas-Asante has now eclipsed his Albion tally of seven goals last season and Corberan felt the striker was back to his best.

“I wanted to see a reaction from the previous game because in the last game, I didn’t see his real level,” he added. “Today I saw him competing much better.

“I think sometimes – depending on the context of the game – it switches towards the advantages of one player.

“He’s not good at every single thing, but the important thing for him is to know what type of striker he is and play with the maximum mentality that he needs to play with.”

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.”

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna declared the long-awaited East Anglian derby with Norwich as a “great occasion” and claimed that his team were better by a “considerable margin” in spite of them drawing 2-2.

His opposite number at Carrow Road, David Wagner, meanwhile, said his first ‘Old Farm’ clash between the two sides – the first for nearly four years – was “exciting” and was what was expected.

Jonathan Rowe struck twice either side of the break for City while Nathan Broadhead and Wes Burns were the Ipswich scorers.

Ipswich dominated the first half and should have been ahead by at least three goals but failed to capitalise on their superiority.

Broadhead spurned two chance to put the Town ahead. The first came when he danced round a couple of tackles to leave him one on one with Angus Gunn in the Norwich goal but he put his shot narrowly wide of the left-hand post.

Moments later he picked up a cross from Wes Burns but fired the ball just the wrong side of the same post.

Town then spurned their third good opportunity to take the lead when Burns smashed his shot over the bar.

McKenna said: “It was a great occasion in terms of the build up and the supporters did the club proud in terms of the atmosphere they created.

“I thought it was a really good performance and we were the better team by a considerable margin, created lots and lots of chances, give away very few chances and there was lots of things that we can build on from the performance.

“Of course the frustration is conceding two goals from hopeful balls that ricochet around in our box, but beyond that there’s so many positives that we can take from the performance.

“Of course, only a point and we would have loved to have given the supporters the victory, but I think the team can certainly take a lot from that game.

“We have been so clinical at home and I think that’s a 3-0 performance in the first half if I’m honest and we go in at 1-1.

“The goals we gave away were disappointing, it’s two moments of concentration in our penalty box and a little bit of fortune in both which can happen.”

Opposite number Wagner felt the game had gone as he anticipated.

He said: “It was exciting and more or less what you expect, what you like to have… a lot of battles, a lot of energy.

“The lead changes during the game as well and I’m absolutely delighted about the shift my players put on the pitch, great togetherness, great working attitude, super fighting spirit and this the reason why it’s a deserved point for me.

“Obviously if you can’t win it you make sure you can’t lose it and this is what the players have done. We take this point.

“You have seen why Ipswich is so good at home and so good in the season in general. This was their first draw, every other game they have won and this makes it a good result for us.

“It was deserved because of the fighting spirit and of the effort which they players bought the pitch and they always believed going and fighting and close the yards in between the lines.

“Technically it was a very, very good game, they are a good side. We take the draw and this is why it was a deserved point for me.”

Norwich manager David Wagner confessed to momentarily losing his head in the aftermath of Adam Idah’s winner deep into stoppage time at Bristol City.

The under-pressure Canaries boss raced down the touchline to join in a pile-up of jubilant players after substitute Idah had burst onto a long ball forward to outpace defender Zak Vyner and shoot low past Max O’Leary.

It had looked like being another tough day for Norwich when Jason Knight fired Bristol City in front in the 34th minute after goalkeeper Angus Gunn had parried a low cross into his path.

But the game turned 13 minutes after the break when an intended cross from the left by Dimitris Giannoulis deflected off defender George Tanner to wrong-foot O’Leary and beat him at his near post.

Asked what was going through his mind when Idah netted five minutes into stoppage time, Wagner said: “If anything had been in my head at that moment, I wouldn’t have done it.

“It’s not all about me and it’s my job to keep everyone calm and focussed. But it was a big moment for the team and backed up what I have been saying about the players.

“We have some strong characters in the dressing room and today the spirit was evident in coming from behind to win against a good team.

“Bristol City have had some impressive results recently and we knew it would be a tough game.

“But I felt we started both halves well and after we fell behind the players showed their commitment, as they have been doing since our difficult start to the season.

“Our away fans, in particular, have stood behind us and it’s great to have sent them on their long journey home with smiles on their faces.”

Bristol City striker Tommy Conway squandered two good chances to increase their lead at the end of the first half and head coach Liam Manning was frustrated by the result.

He said: “I’m scratching my head over how we lost. It’s a tough one to take because the least we should have taken with a point.

“We started both halves poorly, but other than that we controlled the game. We have to turn that control into more chances.

“It had been a good week for me learning more about the players. They are an honest group, but we need to be tougher in more ways than one.

“Norwich didn’t have to do much to score their goals, which is disappointing.

“It’s still early days in getting my ideas across. I liked a lot of what I saw today, but we are only talking about a matter of weeks and we will get better.”

Boss David Wagner said Norwich fans had “every reason” to call for his sacking after Watford came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Vicarage Road.

Goals from Danny Batth and Hwang Ui-jo put the Canaries in control with just 12 minutes on the clock but Watford levelled thanks to two goals in three minutes after the half-hour mark from Ismael Kone and Mileta Rajovic.

Yasir Asprilla completed the comeback in the 77th minute with a deftly-taken goal that may have been ruled out for offside had VAR been in operation.

Many Norwich fans had lost their patience with Wagner before that, however, booing the substitution of Adam Idah, and some stayed on after the final whistle to call for his sacking.

“They have every reason – we are not happy as well,” said the German, who was appointed in January. “I understand the frustration. It is the unfortunate nature of the game.

“The supporters show their feelings, which is fine. If we had won it, it would be different.

“I am focused on the work. I have the main responsibility, I have always said this, but also it is the players who win the games.”

Canaries fans had called for Wagner’s sacking at the start of the month, when Blackburn won 3-1 at Carrow Road.

Wins over Cardiff and QPR bought Wagner time but a new sporting director has now arrived in ex-Arsenal loans manager Ben Knapper.

“I don’t feel I am on trial,” Wagner added. “I worked my socks off with my team to win this game but it didn’t happen. We have to reset ourselves and go again on Sunday.”

Watford manager Valerien Ismael was delighted with the way his team recovered from a dreadful start to bank three points that were totally deserved.

“I said afterwards to the guys ‘thank you’,” he said. “I am really proud of the boys. They stayed calm and the most important thing was to stick to the game plan as the game had not started for us.

“At half-time I told the boys to make sure we finished the job. It was hectic at the end but we deserved to win.

“The more difficult it was the more the players stuck together. It was a great win because of the way we managed the situation.”

Asprilla, the 20-year-old Colombia forward, showed great composure with the winning goal.

Norwich goalkeeper George Long parried a long-range effort from Wesley Hoedt and Asprilla latched on to the rebound, deftly rounded Long and slotted home a shot that crossed the line before Dimi Giannoulis could block.

It was Asprilla’s third goal of the season and Ismael is expecting more to follow.

“He is starting to get this breakthrough now,” he said. “We need to give him the confidence he needs and to support him. He can be a key player for us in the future.

“I am really pleased his goal decided the game. He has all the capability to score when he decides. He has everything to score a goal and is unpredictable.”

Under-pressure manager David Wagner felt Norwich’s 3-2 comeback win at Cardiff proved he has the full support of his dressing room.

The Canaries went into the contest in the Welsh capital having collected just one point from their previous six Championship outings.

But Ryan Wintle’s own goal and Adam Idah’s strike, Christian Fassnacht having netted in the first half, earned Norwich a dramatic victory after Josh Bowler and Callum Robinson had put the hosts in front.

“I think it’s a deserved win,” said Wagner. “We have some problems but how the players took it on board and reacted was just great to see.

“It was anything but a surprise for me. I love these players. I know we don’t have a problem in the dressing room, there’s a good togetherness.

“It shows how tight the dressing room is. They were desperate to turn it around and have this winning feeling back.

“We were on a negative run for quite a while, this is never enjoyable.

“But if you still feel the dressing room and everyone else at the club is behind you, you can stand in front of everyone and show the confidence everyone needs from a leader.

“Now hopefully with some players back after the international break, hopefully this is our turning point to continue to at least perform like we did today.”

Following what had been a fairly tame start to proceedings, Norwich stunned the home crowd as Fassnacht tapped home from Kenny McLean’s flick-on to put his side in front with his third goal of the campaign.

But Bowler and Robinson netted before half-time to ensure the Bluebirds led at the break.

Wintle deflected in Fassnacht’s cross eight minutes from time and substitute Idah coolly slotted home from close range just two minutes later as the Canaries won for only the second time in 11 matches in all competitions while bringing an end to Cardiff’s three-game unbeaten run in the process.

Bluebirds boss Erol Bulut was left furious with his side’s set-piece defending.

“You can lose the game but not how we lost it in the last 25 minutes. This makes me angry,” he said.

“We didn’t fight, we didn’t concentrate, we lost balls too quickly and we knew exactly what they would do. Some players were not concentrating enough.

“We trained for it (set-pieces). We showed the team how Norwich are doing their corner kicks, at the front post, and they scored the first goal from the front post.

“And at the far post we conceded. The second goal was the same. Two easy goals.”

He added: “Also, our substitution players didn’t really help us. In previous weeks that was different, they brought us points.

“That was also the key to how we lost the game 3-2.”

Norwich struck twice late on to come from behind and beat Cardiff 3-2 to ease the pressure on under-fire boss David Wagner.

The Canaries silenced the Cardiff City Stadium crowd as Christian Fassnacht poked home his third goal of the campaign in the 22nd minute.

Cardiff responded well and saw Josh Bowler equalise in the 39th minute before Callum Robinson headed them in front on 43 minutes.

But Ryan Wintle’s own goal made it 2-2 in the 82nd minute before Adam Idah slotted home two minutes later as Norwich ended their six-game winless run in dramatic fashion.

Defeat was Cardiff’s first on home soil since early August and brought an end to their three-match unbeaten sequence.

Robinson and Norwich’s Gabriel Sara had decent efforts early on in what was a fairly uneventful opening period, although the excitement levels improved as the first half progressed.

Norwich tested Jak Alnwick for the first time after a slick move that led to Hwang Ui-jo teeing up Sara whose drilled effort was palmed away by the Cardiff goalkeeper.

But Alnwick was helpless from the resulting corner as Kenny McLean’s headed flick-on found Fassnacht unmarked at the back post to tap home.

Cardiff swiftly set about searching for a leveller and boss Erol Bulut was left incensed before the half-hour mark after referee Rebecca Welch failed to award his side a penalty after Bowler went down under a challenge from Przemyslaw Placheta.

Moments after Bowler drilled at Norwich goalkeeper George Long from an acute angle, Poland international Placheta crossed to Hwang, although the South Korean was unable to adjust in time as the ball struck his leg before flying wide.

Cardiff continued to probe at the other end, with captain Joe Ralls firing just wide from the edge of the box.

But the Bluebirds equalised six minutes before the break as Robinson fended off two defenders before crossing to Bowler, who lashed home his second goal of the campaign.

They went in front just four minutes later as Karlan Grant teed up Collins whose lofted cross was inch-perfect for Robinson to nod beyond Long from close range.

Mark McGuinness threw himself in front of Fassnacht’s strike shortly after the restart before Grant was denied by Long at the other end after being played through on goal by Robinson.

Alnwick then had to be alert to keep out Jonathan Rowe’s low driven strike before palming away Danny Batth’s header as Norwich pushed for an equaliser.

They made it 2-2 as Fassnacht drilled across goal, with the ball deflecting off Wintle.

Then after Rowe’s placed shot was saved, Idah netted the winner six minutes from time to spark wild scenes of celebration in the away end and relieve the pressure on Wagner in the process.

Norwich head coach David Wagner vowed to battle on after seeing his side’s poor form continue with a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Blackburn.

The Canaries have now lost eight games out of 10 in all competitions, slipping to 17th in the Championship as a result after a bright start to the campaign.

“If I get the chance I will work to turn this around but I am not the right person to ask (about my future),” he said.

“I take responsibility, for sure, because I am the manager of this team, and today wasn’t good enough, I know that, and the longer this run goes on the more difficult it gets.

“But this squad proved what it’s capable of early in the season and as I said I am ready to work hard to put things right.”

Wagner, who confirmed he would not be resigning, added: “I thought we actually started quite well, winning the ball in dangerous positions, but after that our press wasn’t right and they punished us.

“At 3-0 we had a mountain to climb. I cannot fault the effort of the lads but we were not clinical enough, we didn’t take the good chances we created.”

Norwich were punished for a slow start as a slick Blackburn side scored twice in the first 15 minutes at Carrow Road.

A simple pass inside from Joe Rankin-Costello put Tyrhys Dolan in to run through and smash the ball high into the roof of the net and then Andrew Moran slid Sammie Szmodics in to make it two.

It was all too easy for Blackburn, with the home fans making their discontent clear, and four minutes after the restart it got even bleaker for the hosts as Szmodics got his second of the game.

Dolan did well to pick out an unmarked Moran on the right and his low cross was tapped in at the back post by Rovers’ top scorer, who got the benefit of a tight offside call.

The visitors were quickly reduced to 10 men when Scott Wharton saw red for a professional foul on Onel Hernandez, but Norwich had to wait until the second minute of injury time to pull one back from Gabriel Sara, who was in the right place to pounce on a loose ball in the area.

Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson was understandably pleased with his side’s comfortable win.

“I thought it was an excellent win and performance – we played at a very high level for long periods,” he said.

“Norwich are going through a difficult spell at the moment but they are still a good team with good players and it was important we got on the front foot immediately. We scored two good goals and had other good chances and it could easily have been 4-0 at half-time.

“We stuck to our principles, with plenty of one and two-touch football, and I thought we played some really good stuff at times.

“We scored another well-worked goal in the second half and then got the red card, which obviously affected the game.

“After that I thought we defended like lions to keep them out, showing great team spirit, which was another positive from our young team.

“We put in a good show at Chelsea and we have followed that up today with another good performance, which is very pleasing. We can now enjoy this and then prepare for the derby against Preston on Friday.”

Norwich boss David Wagner insists he can get the struggling Canaries back on track but admits he is unable to say whether he will be given time to turn his side’s fortunes around.

Norwich’s miserable Championship run continued with a 3-1 defeat at Sunderland, meaning Wagner’s side have now won just two of their last 10 games and tumbled to 17th in the table.

The Canaries took the lead at the Stadium of Light through Hwang Ui-jo but Trai Hume and Dan Neil put the home side ahead before the break, before Jack Clarke wrapped up the win for Sunderland in the second half from the spot with his ninth goal of the season.

The defeat means Norwich are now winless in five, and Wagner accepts such form will lead to questions about his future.

“I take responsibility and I have to find solutions to change it,” he said.

“The recent form is not where we want it to be and far away from where we can be and what we’ve shown. This is a big problem for us.”

Asked whether he thinks he will be given time to turn it around, he said: “I understand the question but it is not a question I can answer.”

He did, however, insist he has full belief that he remains the man for the job.

He said: “Yeah, obviously. These are situations you face as a manager which you don’t like but these are challenges that are part of a manager’s life.

“It’s up to me to get this sorted, but how much time or if I get the time, as I said it’s not a question (I can answer).”

To get back to winning ways, Wagner says his side – particularly his senior pros – need to cut out the individual mistakes.

He said: “I think we should not shy away from this. Everyone sees who does the mistakes and at the minute they are my senior pros.

“This hurts double and it costs because these are usually the players you can lean on and give the ball in certain situations, but at the minute it’s where the problem is as well. It’s a good dressing room, they stick together.”

Home boss Tony Mowbray was delighted to end a run of three straight defeats, with Sunderland climbing to seventh in the table.

He said: “I think it was the right result for the way the game went.

“It felt a little bit ‘here we go again’ when they scored, I don’t think they’d been in our half up until that point and yet we’re a goal behind.

“We showed great character to get in front before half-time, with some really good, positive front-foot play. It was important for us, I thought it was harsh on us to have lost three games – there were some okay performances in there.

“You have to take it on the chin when you lose and what was important for us was to keep the confidence up. We showed them a lot of clips of the Leicester game and the rewards of playing on the front foot.

“We did that well today, suffocated them for long spells and it wasn’t really until the last 15 that they asked questions of us, and then in that period we could have scored more goals on the break.”

David Wagner admits he needs to try and “find the ideas and solutions to get the confidence back” into his Norwich players after another defeat.

The Canaries have now lost seven out of their last 10 matches in all competitions after Middlesbrough claimed a 2-1 win at Carrow Road.

Sam Greenwood and Samuel Silvera gave the visitors a 2-0 lead before Jonathan Rowe pulled one back for Norwich in the last minute.

Wagner said: “Of course it’s frustrating.

“We were below par today, we had some spells in the first half, first 15 minutes we were OK. In the second half, we had maybe half an hour where we were OK as well but, in general, it was not a good performance.

“In terms of the effort and attitude, I have no complaints. I will not blame the players, they really tried and fought.

“We looked affected confidence-wise unfortunately and that’s why we weren’t able to perform to our level and conceded this defeat.

“We conceded goals again which were hard to take, from the moment we conceded them and how we conceded them. It’s difficult to take. Football life is not always easy.

“At the minute, it’s hard, that’s the truth.

“It’s me that has to find the ideas and solutions to get the confidence back into the players, to show them a way out of this difficult period that we have.

“The only way you can do it is you stick together, take it on the chin and prepare yourself to be better in the next game.”

By contrast, Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick was “encouraged” by his resurgent side’s display.

Carrick, who is celebrating a year in charge of Boro, said: “It was a hell of a game and a really tough one.

“It took a lot of effort to get over the line. You saw our teamwork and our team spirit. They played smartly to understand the plan, apply it and stick to it. I thought the boys were fantastic.

“I thought we limited them really well.

“I know they had a lot of shots, but they weren’t really dangerous or in areas where we wouldn’t be comfortable with. It was disappointing to concede one in the end – that was the one where we maybe did just let them get into a good area.

“But maybe that also shows how well the lads have done that we feel aggrieved by that so late on. I can’t fault the lads though. I’m really encouraged by it.”

David Wagner was bursting with pride after seeing his much-changed Norwich team reach the Carabao Cup third round with a deserved success at Bristol City.

The winner came on 49 minutes when Przemyslaw Placheta accepted a pass from Sam McCallum inside the box and turned to fire a right-footed shot just inside the far post.

It was enough to edge a fast, open game in favour of a Canaries team featuring nine changes.

Wagner said: “I am over the moon and very proud. We picked a young side and they have produced a very mature performance.

“We were not as clinical as against Huddersfield, but it was a great win against a very good Bristol side.

“What we showed was that whoever starts and whoever comes on as a sub, everyone knows his job and there is a togetherness about the group.

“We have a good and reliable squad, even if it is not high on numbers. I won’t rule out anything before the transfer window closes, but if we go with the current players I am up for the fight.”

Bristol City lacked a cutting edge to capitalise on some promising approach play.

Boss Nigel Pearson said: “It was about key moments again. There was a situation where Anis Mehmeti could have set up Nahki Wells for a tap-in and we have to do better in those situations.

“Ephraim Yeboah goes and looks dangerous, but we squander chances to give him the ball. That is poor decision-making.

“I expect more from all the players in terms of the winning mentality we need. We came up a bit short tonight against a very good team.”

Norwich created the better chances, Max O’Leary saving brilliantly from Adam Idah in the first half and Liam Gibbs striking the crossbar just before Placheta broke the deadlock.

Manager David Wagner expressed his pride as Norwich claimed a 4-0 Championship victory on his return to Huddersfield.

The Canaries continued their impressive start to the season as they stretched their unbeaten run to five games.

Josh Sargent pounced on a Lee Nicholls error to hand the visitors an early lead and score in a third-successive game.

The hosts’ calamitous start worsened when Matty Pearson conceded a penalty and Ashley Barnes converted from the spot.

Straight after the interval, the in-form Jonathan Lowe continued his feat of scoring in every game as he notched a fifth goal this term. And Adam Idah rounded off a delightful Norwich display with a late fourth as they rose to second place.

“We scored some very good goals and it was a deserved win,” former Huddersfield boss Wagner said.

“Nobody knows better than me how difficult this place can be and this was a big win from us.

“Coming to Huddersfield away from home, if you don’t take the lead or if you give chances away, the supporters can make a big difference.

“The players have done fantastic, used their opportunities and defended their goal with everything they had.

“(Goalkeeper Angus) Gunn was fantastic and it’s our first clean sheet and offensively we were able to break from that.

“Unfortunately, Sargent has a serious ankle injury but this goal shows the character and desire of him and the whole group.

“Overall, it was a very good performance and all our strikers have done great and scored and our substitutes made an impact as well.

“We can create good opportunities and score and this is good to know, but our whole performance was right today.

“The fact we scored four is pleasing but to keep our first clean sheet in the Championship this season, makes the win even greater.

“I’ll never rule anything out with the transfer window still open but I am very happy with the squad we have.”

It was another miserable afternoon for Huddersfield, who are still yet to record a victory this season.

Josh Ruffels went closest to handing the hosts a reprieve, but his goal-bound header was saved miraculously by Gunn.

“I can’t fault the effort at all,” said boss Neil Warnock. “There’s nobody on the pitch today who’s not given everything.

“The goals we’re conceding are silly and we can’t keep giving goals away like that – Norwich is a good side without giving them a goal.

“We started off really strong, on the front foot and I didn’t think they were going to cope with us and then we gave a goal away.

“And then the penalty’s very iffy and you’re two-nil down and you can’t believe it.

“The lads are giving everything and you can’t ask any more, but they’re very elementary goals and you can’t concede like that at this level.

“We’re getting in decent positions, but we’ve not been able to finish.

“At the end of the day, I can’t fault the effort and they’re giving me everything. And there’s a lot of the points of the game today that I did enjoy.

“But if you make mistakes like that at any level of football, you’re going to get punished and we can’t be doing that.

“I think we can beat anybody on our day but when we’re playing well, we shoot ourselves in the foot.”