Penalty decision could have changed the game, says Norwich boss Alex Neil

Norwich City manager Alex Neil criticised the officials for not awarding his side a penalty in their 1-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday.

Neil thought referee Craig Pawson should have pointed to the spot when Robbie Brady was bundled over by Chelsea forward Willian 12 minutes before half-time.

And while the Scot refused to say that decision cost the visitors a point at Stamford Bridge, he did say he felt his team had been on the wrong end of a number of refereeing calls this season.

"Chelsea had a few opportunities in the game, I think we had a good opportunity in the game with Sebastien Bassong coming in at the back post and they made a fantastic block," Neil said.

"I think we should have had a penalty in the first half when Robbie Brady goes down, but we seem to be on the wrong end of decisions at times.

"Certainly this season decisions have not gone for us. I do not think that is the reason we lost the game, but it certainly would have helped."

Neil was happy with the way Norwich contained the champions, although he was disappointed with the manner in which they conceded the winner after losing concentration at a free-kick in the lead-up to Diego Costa's second-half strike.

"We know coming to Chelsea they are going to have bits of the ball and opportunities, but I thought we limited them to chances which were not really ones which you would say they should have scored," he said.

"I think [Nemanja] Matic's was probably the best chance, other than the goal, and the fact that we switched off from a dead ball once it was a free-kick let us down in the game really.

"If we get a penalty and go a goal up, it gives us something to hang on to and makes the game different. It makes Chelsea have to come at us even more, but I very rarely ever say anything about referees because I think they have a hard enough job.

"But I think this season so far we have been on the end of decisions that should have gone our way, but have not."

After Costa had opened the scoring midway through the second half, Neil admitted his players found it difficult to get back into the match, despite a gameplan that had largely worked against the Blues.

"It is hard to change that momentum," he added. "When they score the goal there was only 25 minutes left on the clock. We tried to put more bodies forward towards the end, but it is difficult to change the mentality on the pitch.

"The game at Manchester City was a bit different, we managed to go for it and get a goal. But if we had got a penalty in the first half, like we should have done, and we do not switch off for the goal they scored, then it could have been a very different result.

"The game plan that we came with I think worked well. The fact is we switched off at a free-kick that we had given away and we did not get back into our shape quickly enough, which cost us.

"And then also, like I said, I think the decision that went against us in the first half did not help us."