Goals galore at Carrow Road, again

Norwich City keeper Ben Alnwick sports a gashed cheek from a collision with Fraizer Campbell which resulted in both players going off.

Norwich City 1, Sunderland 4

Paul Lambert blamed individual errors for Norwich City's exit from the Carling Cup at Carrow Road last night.

The Black Cats scored three times in 10 first-half minutes and, although Wes Hoolahan pulled one back just after the hour, an own goal by Owain Tudur Jones ended hopes of a revival.

“I thought we started the game really well,” said the City boss. “We had a couple of really good chances and Craig Gordon made some decent saves, but when you make individual errors, especially against the calibre of a team like that, you will get punished and that is what happened.

“But there are some positive things to come out of it. The negatives I have already seen.”

Lambert will be concerned at the loss of goalkeeper Ben Alnwick with a facial injury in the latter stages of the game after a collision with Fraizer Campbell which led to a straight red card for defender Michael Spillane and, with all three subs already used, a surprise appearance in goal for striker Cody McDonald.

“His face is a bit of a mess at the minute, we just need to see how that settles down, but it's quite a bad gash,” Lambert said. “It's straight under his eye.”

Lambert made half a dozen changes for the second game running as he builds up a picture of his squad.

“The pleasing thing was at 3-0 it was easy to wilt and we didn't. We stuck at it,” he said. “We stuck at it, got our goal and gave the crowd a little bit of a lift. There were some really pleasing things - 3-0 down against a Premiership team and we could have buckled, which we never did.

“Saturday was great but tonight we were stepping up two divisions which is tough, but I am delighted we didn't wilt - and there are some young kids coming through, which is pleasing.

“Saturday we got off to a terrific start and I could have played the same team because the lads that were brilliant couldn't do two games in three days.”

Black Cats boss Steve Bruce - who played for Norwich when they beat Sunderland in the final of the competition in 1985 - said he felt saddened by City's fall from grace in recent years.

“It's been an extraordinary start (to the season) and it's baffled me really, and saddened me in a way,” he said. “Sometimes at a club you need stability and over the last few years in particular Norwich seems to have gone from one to the other and once you have that effect it's a downward spiral.

“I hope they can bounce back and I hope they can give Lambert a chance, give him a bit of time because if you keep having changes at the top then it always filters through and causes problems.

“It's sad because this club gave me my chance to play. I'd played in the lower divisions for years and this club gave me my chance and obviously I want to see it do well.

“It's incredible when I see the crowd today and when I see the season ticket holders they have. It's a backwater of a place and difficult to get to, but it means so much to the city that they have a football team that's doing well and I really hope they get their act together and start climbing through the tables and making sure they get back to where they want to be.”