Norwich City 0-1 Sunderland: Abdoullah Ba's early strike boosts Black Cats' Championship play-off hopes

Sunderland boosted their Championship play-off hopes with a 1-0 win over fellow top-six hopefuls Norwich.

Tony Mowbray's side bounced back from a painful 5-1 home defeat to Stoke as Abdoullah Ba's well-taken 15th-minute goal settled an entertaining encounter at Carrow Road, leaving the Black Cats five points off the play-off spots.

Norwich, who would have gone back into the top six with a win, dominated the game for long spells, especially in the second half, but struggled to create clear-cut openings, with some excellent defending keeping them largely at arm's length.

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The Canaries had two good chances to grab an early lead, with goalkeeper Anthony Patterson doing well to thwart Max Aarons after the right-back had stolen in at the back post and then grabbing a low drive through a crowded box from Marcelino Nunez.

But the visitors, who had also seen plenty of the ball, were the ones to break the deadlock.

Some poor defending allowed Joe Gelhardt to slide in a pass to Ba and the midfielder burst forward and, from just outside the area, beat Angus Gunn with a well-struck shot into the bottom corner.

Sunderland should have gone two up a couple of minutes later when Gelhardt broke the offside trap and ran through, but with defenders on his heels he could only shoot straight at Gunn, who made a smart reaction stop.

Norwich regained their composure as the half wore on but the best effort they could manage was a deflected long-range effort from Kenny McLean, which was comfortably saved by Patterson.

The hosts started the second half looking as though they meant business and Sunderland were grateful for a brave block when Gabriel Sara fired a powerful drive goalwards after 54 minutes.

Gunn then fisted away a 20-yard snap shot from Jack Clarke as the Black Cats continued to threaten but it was Norwich who were now dictating proceedings, with Patterson doing well to grab Teemu Pukki's crisply-struck volley.

David Wagner's side laid siege to the Sunderland goal in the latter stages but could find no way through a well-drilled defence.

The managers

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Sunderland's Tony Mowbray speaking to Sky Sports:

"We've got some young French kids who are really talented. Yet it is difficult to get the communication right with them.

"Abou is an amazing talent, but he doesn't do the simple things very well, he wants to constantly beat someone before he releases it.

"I said he was going to score today, I knew he was going to score and he is learning. They are all learning English football, they have come from a really technical French league and it's a different game.

"What's difficult for me is trying to connect with the French guys when I can't speak their language and I see the disappointment in their eyes when they're on the bench."

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Norwich's David Wagner:

"I have to say it was a deserved defeat. In the first half we were well short of the level required. Our passing and movement were not good enough, we were not sharp enough and we deserved to go in at half-time 1-0 down.

"It was better in the second half, and I have no complaints about the effort of the players, but there still wasn't enough energy and intensity in our play and we didn't create enough clear chances.

"It was a disappointing result, a disappointing performance, but it's important not to get too carried away with the negatives, just like you don't get too carried away with the positives.

"It's about being honest, having a good chat about what we did wrong, and then making sure we do a lot better when we play again in three days (at his former club Huddersfield)."

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