Norwich head coach David Wagner feels his team are in a good place after watching them beat West Brom 2-0 at Carrow Road to stay on the fringes of the Championship play-off race.
The Canaries have bounced back from a poor run of form to lose just twice in 12 matches in all competitions and Wagner was full of praise for his in-form team afterwards.
Josh Sargent and Jon Rowe scored either side of the break as Norwich made it back-to-back league wins.
He said: “I thought it was a superb performance from the lads, they kept up a high level for the whole game.
“We scored two good goals, showed lots of energy throughout and also defended well to keep a clean sheet – there were a lot of good things out there and we are in a good place now and we will keep on pushing.
“Where it takes us I don’t know but what I can say is that we are moving in the right direction and are competitive in this division.”
Norwich moved up to eighth, just four points behind the fifth-placed Baggies, as a result of the hard-fought victory.
The Canaries were on the back foot for long periods but defended well and, unlike their opponents, made good use of two of the opportunities that came their way.
They made their first incisive attack of the game count on 13 minutes as Sargent latched onto Kenny McLean’s through ball and fired through Alex Palmer’s poor attempt at a save.
The all-important second arrived in the 71st minute, Rowe making it 13 for the season by finishing off a slick move involving Gabriel Sara and Dimi Giannoulis.
Wagner knows the well-taken goal will only increase speculation linking Rowe with a move to a higher level but he said: “There are no signs, no indications he will move this month. I am confident he will be with us at the end of the month.
“His performance today was at a high level, the same as all the players – he went close twice in the first half, scored a good goal in the second and his energy was great throughout. He is an excellent young player but there is still a lot of work to be done.”
Baggies boss Carlos Corberan was disappointed to see his side leave Carrow Road empty-handed.
He said: “It is important we feel the pain of this defeat because only then can we have the desire to improve and put things right.
“We had some good chances in this match, especially in the second half.
“Had we taken one of those right at the start of the half it might have been a different outcome. We just needed to be a lot more clinical in front of goal.
“If you don’t take your chances you are not going to win football matches and that is something we need to work on.
“It is very frustrating because we knew what the game would be like. They are a good side and we knew they would be a threat on transitions.
“That is what happened and we needed to defend them a lot better.”
Kane sets Champions League record as Bayern draw with Real Madrid
Bayern Munich drew 2-2 against Real Madrid in an exhilarating Champions League semi-final first leg, as Harry Kane set a new record in the competition.
Kane scored from the penalty spot to make it 2-1 to Bayern early in the second half, just four minutes after Leroy Sane had brilliantly restored parity.
That successfully converted spot-kick made Kane the first English player to be directly involved in 11 goals in a single Champions League campaign.
Kane is the joint-top scorer across Europe's big five leagues in all competitions this season (43 – level with Kylian Mbappe), while the England captain now has the most combined goals and assists of any player (54 – 43 goals and 11 assists).
Vinicius Junior scored both of Madrid's goals. His opener came in the 24th minute, with the Brazil forward coolly slotting home from Toni Kroos' delicious throughball.
Kroos, playing against his former club, played 15 line-breaking passes in the first half, at least ten more than any other player on the pitch.
Vinicius' second goal came from 12 yards, with Kim Min-jae having fouled Rodrygo in Bayern's area.
Having sent Manuel Neuer the wrong way, Vinicius marked his 31st direct goal involvement since the start of the 2021-22 campaign (16 goals, 15 assists). That is more goal involvements than any other player in that time.
Jude Bellingham was unable to wield his usual influence on proceedings, creating just one chance and failing to have a shot on what was his 32nd Champions League appearance.
Only Cesc Fabregas (34) has made more Champions League appearances before turning 21 than Bellingham has, with the former Borussia Dortmund star having moved level with Iker Casillas and Roque Santa Cruz.
At the other end of the age spectrum, Muller has now made 150 Champions League appearances for Bayern, becoming just the third player to reach that milestone for a single club in the competition, after Xavi (151 for Barcelona) and Casillas (150 for Real Madrid).
Bayern Munich 2-2 Real Madrid: Vinicius' late leveller sets up winner-takes-all showdown
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior scored twice, including an 83rd-minute penalty, to snatch a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich in an entertaining Champions League semi-final first leg on Tuesday.
The Brazilian struck against the run of play when he slotted in to give the visitors the lead from Toni Kroos' defence-splitting pass after 24 minutes at Allianz Arena.
Bayern struck twice in four second-half minutes to turn the game around, with Leroy Sane threading home a powerful shot in the 53rd minute and Harry Kane edging his side ahead with a penalty soon after.
Madrid, however, earned a spot-kick of their own when Rodrygo was brought down and Vinicius coolly converted it to equalise, leaving this tie wide open ahead of next week's return leg.
Facing each other for a record eighth time at this stage of the competition, it was Bayern who started well, racking up half a dozen attempts on goal by the 15th minute with Sane and Kane coming close.
Madrid needed only one chance to score though, stunning the home crowd when Kroos sliced open the Bayern defence with a through ball and Vinicius chased it down to beat Manuel Neuer.
Kroos almost added another himself in the 51st minute but his curled shot was palmed wide by Neuer. Instead, it was Bayern who scored two minutes later with a solo effort and shot from Sane for a deserved equaliser.
Their comeback was complete in the just four minutes later when Jamal Musiala was brought down by Lucas Vazquez and Kane sent Andriy Lunin the wrong way to put the home side ahead.
Madrid, chasing a 15th European Cup, levelled in the 83rd minute with Vinicius' penalty to set up a mouth-watering return leg in Madrid next week.
The winners will face either Borussia Dortmund or Paris Saint-Germain, who meet in the second semi-final on Wednesday.
Vinicius double drags Madrid back into Champions League semi-final after Bayern draw
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior scored twice, including an 83rd-minute penalty, to snatch a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich in an entertaining Champions League semi-final first leg on Tuesday.
The Brazilian struck against the run of play when he slotted in to give the visitors the lead from Toni Kroos' defence-splitting pass after 24 minutes at Allianz Arena.
Bayern struck twice in four second-half minutes to turn the game around, with Leroy Sane threading home a powerful shot in the 53rd minute and Harry Kane edging his side ahead with a penalty soon after.
Madrid, however, earned a spot-kick of their own when Rodrygo was brought down and Vinicius coolly converted it to equalise, leaving this tie wide open ahead of next week's return leg.
Kim Min-Jae's mindless drag on Madrid forward Rodrygo afforded Carlo Ancelotti's side their leveller seven minutes from time, with Thomas Tuchel's men now needing an unlikely away win to reach the final.
Yet Tuchel will feel a draw was the least Bayern deserved, having dominated the opening stages before a remarkable second-half turnaround displayed their attacking quality in Munich.
Bayern will look to Kane once more for inspiration in Madrid given their talisman has been involved in 11 goals in the competition this season (eight goals, three assists); the most ever by an English player in a single campaign in the Champions League.
However, Tuchel may still be concerned as when avoiding defeat away from home in the first leg of a knockout stage tie in the Champions League, Madrid have progressed on 18 of the previous 19 occasions.
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