Norwich manager Daniel Farke was delighted to come through what he described as a complicated game as his side beat Swansea 1-0 at Carrow Road to move five points clear of the Sky Bet Championship.
The Swans had looked the better side in the first half but failed to make it count and Norwich showed them how to do it with a well-taken winner nine minutes after the restart.
Winger Onel Hernandez picked the ball up on the left and after biding his time picked out Emiliano Buendia on the edge of the box and the little Argentinian then showed his quality by beating Matt Grimes before unleashing a superb shot into the roof of the net.
The Swans never looked like coming back from that setback and in the end, the victory could have been more emphatic, with top scorer Teemu Pukki hitting the post in the closing stages after another Buendia through ball.
“This was a very different game to the ones we have had recently,” said Farke, who also praised visiting manager Graham Potter and his players.
“We were up against best side we have faced for a long time and full credit to Graham Potter and his team. They made it very difficult for us with the way they passed the ball and pressed us, especially in the first half.
“But we managed to improve our performance levels in the second half and managed to find a solution to the problem to win a very complicated game.
“We scored an excellent goal and protected our lead very well. In the end, we could have won by more goals but I am just happy we have come through with the three points.
“Sometimes tactical games like this are not so entertaining, there are not so many chances, and fortunately we have taken one of ours.
“It was a great goal by Emi, a good first touch and then an outstanding strike. That just goes to show the sort of quality he has got.”
Farke has a connection with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, with both having come over to England from Borussia Dortmund, and he was asked whether the result would have gone down well with his fellow German.
“Jurgen knows a lot about our side because a number of our players were coached by him in Germany – I think he is always looking out for our results,” he said.
“I think he is keeping his fingers crossed for us and I am keeping my fingers crossed for him too.”
Potter was pleased with his side’s efforts and frustrated by the result.
“It was a performance the players can be proud of,” he said.
“We were up against a good side who usually outscore teams convincingly but we restricted them to very few opportunities and had a few chances ourselves.
“We were always in the game although we didn’t really do enough in the final third to get a result.
“Norwich are a top side, well coached and with a lot of good players and have certainly got a good chance, although obviously there are other sides in it. It’s a good club and good luck to them.”
Potter explained the absence of top scorer Ollie McBurnie and the fact that he only named six substitutes.
“Ollie felt ill when he came down here, there was a bit of fever and he was driven home today,” said Potter.
“For the first time since I have been here, we came down with just 18 players because we wanted to leave a few players back home with the midweek match against West Brom in mind. So we had to go with just six on the bench.”
