Norwich head coach David Wagner said his side needed to find a more ruthless edge after being held to a frustrating goalless draw by Preston at Carrow Road.
The Canaries were on the front foot for long periods against a side who had lost their three previous games but could find no way through a determined rearguard.
“The feeling in the dressing room right now is one of frustration because I don’t think anyone watching that game would have had any complaints if we had won it,” said Wagner.
“Defensively we were very good, keeping them away from our goal, but going forward we lacked a bit of creativity.
“Even when you dominate a match you don’t always create nine of 10 decent chances. Sometimes it is only two or three and that was the case and in those sort of games you just need to take one of them.
“Unfortunately we weren’t able to do that – we just need to be a bit more ruthless in front of goal and that is something we will be working on.
“We have now had two successive clean sheets at home and have won one and drawn one.
“We have another home game on Wednesday (against Sheffield Wednesday) and we need to clear our heads and look forward to that one. There are a lot of games coming up this month and we have to make sure we are ready for them.”
It was a match that Norwich dominated for long periods, although they came up against a side who defended stoutly throughout.
The closest the Canaries came to breaking the deadlock was in the second half when substitute Liam Gibbs wasted a great chance after being picked out in the box by Gabriel Sara while a goalbound header from Shane Duffy was blocked on the line by Alan Browne.
Preston were largely on the back foot, although Ben Whiteman hit the crossbar on a rare break and Jack Whatmough almost forced the ball home in a late scramble.
Preston boss Ryan Lowe was delighted to come away from Carrow Road with a hard-earned point.
“It was a solid, resolute performance and our application was spot on,” he said.
“This is a difficult place to come to and our attitude going into the game was to keep the back door shut and whatever happens at the other end we will take.
“First and foremost I thought we defended really well and when it was needed there were plenty of blocks, good saves and good headers to keep them out. We also had our moments at the other end.
“It is a fantastic point after a disappointing run of results and a lot of hard work has got us there against a good team who have been on a decent run.
“This is an important building block for us and now we need to build on it.
“We are still in a fantastic position and now we need to follow this up with more good results.”
Al-Nassr 1-2 Al-Qadsiah: Aubameyang winner ends hosts' unbeaten run
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the winner as Al-Qadsiah inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Friday to end their 21-match unbeaten run.
Cristiano Ronaldo's seventh league goal of the season put Al-Nassr ahead, but Al-Qadsiah replied swiftly through Julian Quinones before Aubameyang struck the decisive blow.
The hosts drew first blood in the 32nd minute when Ronaldo slotted home after Al-Qadsiah goalkeeper Koen Casteels had spilled a routine catch from Talisca's cross.
However, Al-Nassr's joy was short-lived when Quinones brought down Turki Al Ammar's delivery five minutes later, with the Mexcio winger firing past Bento to level the scores.
Quinones also played a part in the winning goal after brilliantly turning the ball back across goal from Nahitan Nandez's search pass to tee up a simple finish for Aubameyang.
The result sees Al-Qadsiah move level on 22 points with third-placed Al-Nassr, with Al-Shabab also level with them.
Stefano Pioli's Al-Nassr are six points adrift of defending champions and leaders Al-Hilal, who also have a game in hand.
Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury.
White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term.
After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.
It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign.
Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team.
"It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.
"We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.
"He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."
Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."
It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".
There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday.
After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.
Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
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