Chris Hughton is acutely aware Norwich's bluntness in front of goal threatens their top flight status.

The Canaries' carved out 27 attempts on David Marshall's goal, but only breached the Bluebirds through Robert Snodgrass' early close range finish, and were then undone by an early second half home blitz.

'Sometimes you come in at the end of a game and hold your hands up and admit you have not been the better side, you haven't created enough chances and you haven't deserved to win. This was not one of those occasions,' said Hughton. 'We made our own problems with the goals we conceded but we got the ball into good areas. If we are not scoring the goals we want, then we can't concede the type we did.

'We played a system with one off the front but on a lot of occasions in that first half we did get plenty of men in support so I don't think it was a case of not going for it. What stopped us getting those opportunities in the first half was that final pass or that little bit of quality, but at 1-0 at half-time we were absolutely comfortable.'

Norwich tumbled three places down the Premier League on another weekend to underline the fraught nature of the struggle.

'Yes, our position is clearly a cause for concern,' said Hughton. 'That is how the division is and how much each game matters.

'We all know here what we are striving to do and that is make sure we are heading in an upward not a downward direction. There was some positives on one level but it hurts because it is not a game we deserved to lose. If we had come here, lost and not played well that is a bigger concern. I don't think you could fault the attitude of the players. They gave everything they could.'