Norwich City boss delivers verdict on what went wrong in classy response to Sunderland defeat

The Black Cats brought their winless run to an end against Wagner's in-form side, with Abdoullah Ba's early strike proving the difference between the two sides.

Wagner said his side had struggled to cope with Sunderland's high pressing strategy in the opening exchanges, and while pleased with the application of his players in the second half, admitted they hadn't created enough to warrant anything from the game.

"The performance, especially in the first half, was as disappointing as the result," he said.

"We didn't start on our level, we weren't quick enough in passing or our movement, not sharp enough in counterpressing situations and this meant we didn't get the intensity and energy.

"We deserved to be 1-0 down. The second half was better but we were still not good enough in possession, we didn't occupy the right spaces and weren't able to create enough chances. We deserved the defeat.

"If you leave too many spaces open and don't put enough pressure on the player on the ball, then it can cause you a problem and this is what happened. We didn't do it well enough and against a good team which Sunderland are - with young, energetic players who play their football with freedom, they were able to cause us problems."

The gap between the two sides is now just three points, with Norwich City two points behind Millwall who currently occupy the final play-off spot.