Norwich head coach David Wagner singled out Kenny McLean for praise after watching his side continue their Championship play-off bid with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Sunderland at Carrow Road.
Josh Sargent’s late goal earned the Canaries a narrow win and while Wagner was delighted with the American’s display, he felt it was McLean’s contribution that should be highlighted.
He said: “When Kenny woke up on Thursday he was struggling to walk and he was not able to train on Thursday or Friday.
“He had stiffness in the back and full credit to him and our medical staff that he was able to play. He is a top, top professional who does everything he can to be successful, a proper Scottish braveheart!
“Josh also turned in top performance, not just with the goal but the way he linked play and worked hard to close them down.”
Wagner added: “We were up against a good, well-organised team and had to work hard to break them down.
“But I thought it was a deserved win, we created a lot of good chances and also defended really well, restricting them to very few box entries. I was very pleased with the performance and now we have to keep it going.”
The game was settled by an 81st-minute goal from Sargent, who scored for the seventh successive home game and took his tally to 11 in an injury-hit campaign overall.
The USA international shrugged off the attentions of two Sunderland defenders when a Ben Gibson cross came over and when they ball bounced kindly for him swivelled and fired home from close range.
It was a deserved goal for the Canaries who had carved out the better chances.
Visiting substitute Abdoullah Ba hit the woodwork just before the Norwich winner but the hosts were on the front foot for most of the game and goalkeeper Anthony Patterson made a number of good saves to keep them out until nine minutes from time.
The defeat left Sunderland nine points adrift of the top six but interim head coach Mike Dodds isn’t giving up on the play-offs just yet.
He said: “I look back to this time last season when I think we were in a very similar position to where we find ourselves now.
“Then we went on an unbelievable run to take it to the final game of the season and there’s no reason why we can’t do that again.
“I look at the players and I don’t see a group that are giving up on it. They are a group who are really close to turning it around and sooner or later I believe the tide will turn.
“We have now got two matches coming up against two of the best teams in the league and we are really looking forward to it.”
As for the game itself, he added: “Norwich are a really good side, especially at home, and I thought for long spells we nullified their threat, even though we have to do better with their goal.
“Going forward we got into some good positions but we have a lot better quality in the final third than we showed.
“I have got faith in the players but when we got in their area we were a bit tense and erratic.”
Leeds cut gap at the top of the Championship, while Watford hammer Wednesday
Leeds climbed to second in the Championship, three points behind leaders Sunderland, following a 3-0 victory at home to Plymouth.
Daniel Farke's side dominated the opening 30 minutes of the match before three goals in eight minutes put the game to bed inside the first half.
Dan James opened the scoring on the half-hour mark, firing into the top corner from the edge of the area, before Joel Piroe and Brenden Aaronson made it comfortable.
The result marked Plymouth's fourth game without a victory and they dropped into the bottom three on goal difference due to results elsewhere.
Sunderland were held to a goalless draw away to second-bottom QPR, which opened the door for those below to reduce their lead at the top of the table.
While Dan Neil hit the post for the Black Cats in the first half, it was the hosts who were the better team for long periods.
The game turned in the second half when Jobe Bellingham was sent off after 58 minutes for a poor challenge on Zan Celar, but neither side was able to find a winner.
Elsewhere, Watford moved above West Brom into fifth after they hammered Sheffield Wednesday 6-2 at Hillsborough for their second away win of the season.
The result ended a six-game losing run on the road for the Hornets, who were drawing 1-1 at half-time and saw Vakoun Bayo score four goals inside 30 second-half minutes.
Coventry also made it back-to-back league wins for the first time this season with a 3-0 victory away to Middlesbrough that moved them up to 13th.
The hosts had Hayden Hackney sent off after 22 minutes for two yellow cards, which allowed the Sky Blues to ease to three points. As a result, Michael Carrick's side are three points off the play-off positions in 10th.
Barcelona boss Flick calls for LaLiga suspension after Spanish floods
Barcelona are in high spirits ahead of Sunday's derby against Espanyol, though Hansi Flick does not think LaLiga matches should be played this weekend.
Barca thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend to establish a six-point lead in LaLiga but their city rivals Espanyol are 20 points behind and languishing in 17th place, a point above the relegation zone.
Yet Flick feels it is wrong that LaLiga is playing on in the wake of the flash floods that have devastated regions of eastern Spain, with Valencia particularly impacted.
Madrid's game against Valencia was naturally postponed, but most other fixtures in Spain's top tier are going ahead.
"If it were me, I might [suspend LaLiga] because it is an incredible tragedy for Valencia and Spain as a whole," Flick said.
"We have spoken with Ferran [Torres] who is from the area, and it is not easy to decide whether the game should be played or not.
"It is a tragedy. It was something similar in Germany three years ago, it is horrible. We will do everything we can to help. The rest is for LaLiga to decide."
Barca do hold a brilliant record against Espanyol, having not lost in their last 26 encounters with their city rivals.
Flick, though, warned his side against any complacency.
"I know what a Barca-Espanyol derby means. It will be a tough match, for sure. After a fantastic week, it is important to be at 100% tomorrow, with intensity and maximum quality," Flick said.
"We always prepare well for the next game. After the celebrations, we focus on the next game. We work on what we want tomorrow. It's a very long game in the league and we focus on the next game."
Barca have taken 30 points from their first 11 league matches this season, their second-highest tally at this stage of a campaign in the competition, after 31 points in the 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2017-18 seasons.
Simeone: It makes no sense to play after Spanish floods
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is unhappy that most LaLiga matches will go ahead this weekend after catastrophic floods swept the eastern region of Spain.
The deadliest flash floods in Spain's modern history have killed over 200 people and dozens were still unaccounted for, four days after torrential rains swept the region of Valencia.
The tragedy is already Europe's worst flood-related disaster since 1967 when at least 500 people died in Portugal.
Saturday's clash between Valencia and Real Madrid, as well as Villarreal against Rayo Vallecano, are among several games postponed over the weekend after the floods.
"It doesn't make any sense," Simeone told reporters ahead of his side's home game against Las Palmas on Sunday.
"What is happening is very hard; it is very moving to see the people who went out on the streets to help, who with a shovel and their tools are trying to collaborate and that speaks very well of the country, of the people, and we want to help wherever we can.
"There are people having a very hard time, it's very sad and they tell us to continue and here we are, continuing."
Last month, Las Palmas named former Espanyol boss Diego Martinez as their new coach, and while Simeone is not pleased that the game is going ahead, he is prepared for a tough encounter.
"We have a tough game against a team that has improved a lot since the arrival of the coach," Simeone said.
"They are more forceful and I imagine a dangerous game, with a lot of counter-attacking, fast people in attack and we will try to have a game with these situations under control and get it out with the help of our fans, which is always fundamental."
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