Norwich City go 10 points clear after comeback win at Sheffield Wednesday
The Norwich manager, Daniel Farke, labelled his side’s 2-1 victory at Sheffield Wednesday as their “best win of the season”.
City came from behind to see off the relegation-threatened Owls, moving them 10 points clear at the top of the Championship with 10 games remaining. Second-half goals from Teemu Pukki and Todd Cantwell secured the win, responding to Jordan Rhodes’s first-half opener.
“It was the best win of the season. It’s a spotlight game and it’s the type of game you want to win,” Farke said. “It was a difficult game against a highly motivated side. They led after a few moments and they have many experienced players. To respond in the manner we did was amazing.
“It’s up to the players to deliver on the pitch and they wanted to turn this game around with their concentration, tactical discipline, commitment and spirit. It’s a really proud day. It’s a massive win today. We showed energy and a strong mentality. It was a hardfought win.”
The victory moves City on to 79 points as they chase an immediate return to the Premier League following relegation last summer.
“We’ve always said that 80 points will be enough to be safe in the playoffs. Let’s be honest, with 79 points we don’t have to worry about this topic anymore,” Farke said. “We will definitely finish in the top six and we have a great chance to finish at least in the top four. Right now, we keep going and we won’t get too carried away.”
Defeat leaves Wednesday seven points short of safety with their new manager, Darren Moore, still to pick up a point since his shock switch from Doncaster at the start of the month. Moore, though, was pleased with his side’s performance.
“The performance was a lot better today,” he said. “We have to continue to keep getting better. We changed the system around and I thought that the boys did really well.
“I said to the players that they went toe-to-toe with the league leaders today. We started the game on the front foot, and I thought we gave as good as Norwich gave in the first half. I thought the boys were detailed in their first-half work and we pinned them back and scored the all-important goal. I thought we used the ball very well from the positions and worked it well through the pitch.
“Norwich put us on the back foot in the second half and kept us penned in. They had two bits of play and two excellent finishes from two top players. We could have worked up the pitch more and we failed to see that. They are where they are because of the players they have. We need a win to get the momentum going.”