WAT ARE FLIPPIN’ HOT

DANIEL FARKE’S stubborn refusal to budge from his principles whatever the cost is admirable.

But the way things are shaping up at Carrow Road it’s hard to imagine that bloody-mindedness not costing Norwich dear again.

Emmanuel Dennis’ opener and two goals from Ismaila Sarr did the damage here for Watford, despite a Teemu Pukki leveller for the hosts.

The last time they were in the Premier League Farke and Co were criticised for not learning from their mistakes.

The big question this season was whether the penny had dropped. Boos ringing out from the home fans at the end suggested it hasn’t.

This defeat made it five in five at the start of the season.

Only four teams in Premier League history had managed that before yesterday.

Two stayed up – Crystal Palace in 2017-18 and Southampton in

1998-99 – so it is possible. But it’s going to take an almighty effort and the Canaries will need to cut out the individual errors that cost them against the Hornets.

“Of course I understand the fans’ frustrations,” said Farke. “We are the same. We feel self-pity but it’s important to be self-critical as well.

“If you produce these mistakes on this level you are punished and then we were not clinical enough to earn the points.

“But you can’t feel sorry for yourself, you have to roll your sleeves up and work harder.”

Watford started brightly and Dennis put them in front in the

17th minute when he showed great desire to get on the end of

Kiki Femenia’s cross with a good header.

Mathias Normann, on loan from Russian side Rostov, made his Norwich debut and it was his clever clip over the Watford defence that released Pukki for the equaliser.

But Watford regained the lead when Sarr stabbed the ball home from Joshua King’s pull back.

He then finished a neat move which had seen Tom Cleverley, who impressed in midfield alongside man of the match Moussa Sissoko, feed King.

King’s effort was saved by Ben Foster but it fell to Sarr and, after it was incorrectly ruled out for offside, VAR righted the wrong.

Watford boss Xisco Munoz said: “It was a very good performance, the team had more time and we were always in control of the game.

“It was a mature performance but we need to continue to work very hard.”