Warnock: We battered them

Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock was his usual outspoken self after his side's hopes of automatic promotion had suffered another serious setback at Carrow Road.

Following their 2-1 defeat at the hands of a resurgent Norwich outfit the Blades have now won just once in eight matches and have Leeds and Watford breathing down their necks in the race for Premiership football.

Warnock was disappointed with the result - and the quality of the defending which led to City's two goals. But he insisted his team were far superior on the day and explained away their defeat with two simple words - bad luck.

“I would win the pools if I was down here with you lot and won a game like that,” he said.

“I don't think I've ever been to Norwich and battered them that much in my entire career.

“It's such a cruel game and how we have lost today I will never know. It was an excellent performance from the lads, we played football the right way, the Norwich way, and we just didn't have the luck on the day.

"The fact that we hit the bar through Neil Shipperley and then they went down the other end and scored their second goal just about summed it up.

“Hopefully we will get a bit of luck between now and the end of the season. I don't think we have had much of that in the last three months.

“Our fans saw a good team out there - I think the only thing they will be disappointed with is the result.

“As well as the quality, I was also pleased with the character we showed.

“A lot of questions have been asked of the players in recent weeks and I thought they answered them out there.

“A performance was required from them and that's exactly what they gave me. If we keep playing like that for the final seven games I'll have absolutely no complaints.”

Warnock's only disappointment surrounded the poor defending which allowed Norwich to turn around an early deficit. Vital headers were missed as first Leon McKenzie and then Robert Earnshaw hit the target and the manager knows that is something that will have to be worked on.

"There's no getting away from it, our defending in the lead up to their goals left a lot to be desired,” he added.

"They were good goals from a Norwich point of view but very poor goals from our standpoint.

"The lads are disappointed about that, and I can understand why, but overall they were fantastic for me.”

Warnock felt his side should have got back on level terms just after the interval when Michael Tonge fired home, only for the effort to be ruled out because referee Paul Taylor had already awarded the visitors a free-kick.

"I couldn't believe that one,” he said “Why doesn't the referee count to one and give us an advantage? On top of that he was in such a bad position. He was in front on Tongey as he stepped up to shoot.

“If we had scored then there was only one team who would have gone on to win it. I am sure they would just have defended deeper and deeper.

“If we had had a little bit of luck there we would have had an equaliser - but those sort of things don't tend to go for you away from home. That is the way it is going for us at the moment.”