Grant Hanley insists the Norwich City players are desperate to win the Championship title and maintain the high standards they have set during their successful season.

The promoted Canaries suffered a second successive defeat for just the second time in the campaign after being beaten 1-0 by title rivals Watford at Carrow Road last night.

The leaders still have a five-point gap to the Hornets with only three games remaining but missed the opportunity to ensure they were champions on home soil.

“It’s obviously a couple of disappointing results for us, a tough one to take again but we’re still in a good position and we’ve still got a few games left to go and get the outcome that we want,” said City skipper Hanley after the defeat.

“We deserve to be in the position we’re in, it’s nice to have that little cushion, but we’ll keep looking to improve and get better.

“We’ve got to maintain the standard that we set until the end of the season, take the disappointment form the last couple of results but at the same time enjoy and be proud of what we’ve achieved – because we feel like we deserve it.”

Dan Gosling’s close-range finish in the 57th minute settled an intense affair packed with chances for both sides.

The Canaries head to QPR on Saturday knowing that victory will leave them on the verge of the title, with Watford having a home game against a stubborn Millwall team before facing Swansea and Brentford, who still have play-off places to secure.

After the game at Loftus Road, it’s a home clash with Reading and a trip to Barnsley to conclude the season for City, two of the other teams in the play-off mix.

“It means everything to us,” Hanley said of the title. “We want to go and win the league and that’s our focus, that’s what it will be until the end of the season.

“We’re in a good position but we’ve got to get the job done.”

After two disappointing results alongside promotion being confirmed at the weekend, the Scot is confident Daniel Farke’s squad will show their class again

“No excuses there, no dramas there,” he added. “Just get our heads down and got on with it, get ready for Saturday.”