Top dog Neil right back on his perch
NORWICH ........ 3 ROTHERHAM ... 1
NORWICH maintained their superb start to the season as they moved back to the top of the table.
The Canaries made it 16 points from a possible 18 at their Carrow Road fortress as goals from Wes Hoolahan, Cameron Jerome and sub Steven Naismith saw off the league’s bottom side.
Dexter Blackstock briefly brought Rotherham into it by cutting Norwich’s lead to 2-1 midway through the second half but City found a third and held on comfortably.
“I think the performance was really good,” said boss Alex Neil. “We had a lot of the ball, created lots of chances and the only complaint I could make is we didn’t win the game by a bigger margin.
“To be honest, in the first half I thought we were a little wasteful. It could easily have been 3-0 at half-time and I don’t think they would have had any complaints.
“I think we are where we deserve to be because you don’t get there by chance.”
Neil’s side took a while to get going but there was no looking back once they went in front after 17 minutes.
Hoolahan showed great composure in the box to sidestep a defender and slide the ball past Lee Camp.
Norwich continued to dominate and got the second goal they deserved midway through the second half.
The excellent Hoolahan swung in a cross from the left that Jerome guided home with the slightest of touches and it looked as though it would be a comfortable end to the game for the hosts.
But the Millers gave themselves a lifeline after 74 minutes. Darnell Fisher got down the left and crossed for Blackstock, who had only been on the pitch for four minutes, to convert from close range.
Norwich made the points safe in the 89th minute when Naismith was left with an open goal after a cross from the left from fellow substitute Josh Murphy.
Rotherham boss Alan Stubbs said: “I have been in plenty of dressing rooms where there have been one or two players who tend to quit when things are going against them but I don’t see that here.”