Farke so proud as his pace-setters repel Cardiff rally

NORWICH manager Daniel Farke was proud of his players as they weathered second-half pressure to win at Cardiff.

‘Pretty pleased, I’m proud I have to say,’ he said.

‘We had such a difficult week with so many Covid cases — nine in our group. Four players missed this game because of Covid. Also missing other players through flu.

‘We also had several key players like [top scorer Teemu] Pukki through injury, so to travel to Cardiff and deliver that performance was outstanding.

‘We could have made our life easier in the second half.

‘They got a goal out of nothing but we got over the line. To win in these circumstances was outstanding.’

Grant Hanley’s header and Todd Cantwell’s rebound gave the visitors a 2-0 half-time lead which scarcely reflected their domination.

Joe Ralls’ powerful low strike after the break raised the prospect of an improbable Cardiff revival, only for their midfielder Marlon Pack to get sent off after a second booking with 20 minutes left.

Even down to 10 men, Cardiff pressed for an equaliser but Norwich resisted their efforts to take another step towards a return to the Premier League.

Like Farke, Cardiff manager Neil Harris was also pleased of his players’ efforts. ‘I’m really proud of the performance — what an effort by the boys,’ he said.

‘What an effort for the 90 minutes, but for the last 25 with 10 men, we went toe-to-toe with by far the best team in the division.‘On the whole, it’s a massive positive. It might sound crazy. We didn’t get the point, if not three, we wanted, but that’s the level my players have got to have for the rest of the season.’