Norwich 1-2 Leicester
by Michael McCann
at Carrow Road

NORWICH CITY manager Alex Neil says their failure to keep the ball well proved crucial in a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City on Saturday.

Jamie Vardy and Jeff Schlupp scored for the Foxes, with Dieumerci Mbokani scoring his first goal for Norwich in reply, leaving Canaries boss Neil disappointed.

“In the first half we set up to try to move the ball and keep the ball and dominate the game, but unfortunately for us our use of the ball and how quickly we moved it wasn’t quite there,” Neil said.

“The way Leicester are set up to counterattack that, if you don’t move the ball well enough then that’s going to play into their hands because you keep conceding possession.

“These games are difficult to get to the bottom of because Leicester didn’t control the game at any point, but we know what their strengths are.”

The Foxes are still seeking their first clean sheet of the season, but were a constant threat on the break, with Vardy scoring his seventh goal of the season, though Neil says his team had prepared for this threat.

“It was something we worked on all week. If our game isn’t at its maximum though, then they’re set up to punish that.

“I felt sorry for the players, they didn’t do themselves justice in that first 45 minutes today. Things were a bit predictable and too slow. They’re better than that.”