Emi Marcondes' diagnosis of frantic City ending at Cardiff

Depleted City were ahead as the game entered the 89th minute but suffered a double sucker punch when Callum O’Dowda’s late winner followed Callum Robinson’s deflected strike to condemn the Canaries to their first defeat in seven matches.

With Norwich leading 1-0 after Borja Sainz’s stunning opener, Johannes Hoff Thorup opted for a change in formation that invited pressure on their defence late on, but City were punished for squandering too much territory that invited a late onslaught into their box.  

Marcondes refused to be comforted by the positive aspects of City’s performance in the immediate aftermath of the defeat and felt they were caught lacking in several key areas as Cardiff flipped the game on its axis.

“When you dominate like us for a long time, then it’s obviously very disappointing and hard for everyone. There are a lot of frustrations.

“It’s easy to say ‘take the positives from today’ because there were a lot of good things but we are devastated right now,” Marcondes reflected post-match in South Wales.

“This is the part of the Championship and the games that we simply have to win. We invited a little bit too much pressure in the end and allowed them into too many good areas.

“We didn’t get pressure on the ball, weren’t aggressive enough, and I don’t know if it was fatigue or disorientation for everyone, but we need to be better in the last sequences and details that decided the game.”

Callum O'Dowda's late strike condemned Norwich to defeat. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) The experienced midfielder, who joined City on a free transfer last month, felt Norwich’s dip in performance allowed the momentum to shift in the Bluebirds' favour alongside a failure to manage the situation in the final stages with enough nous.

“It’s hard when you play against a team that is pushing for a goal and a home crowd that helps them,” said Marcondes.

“It helped the momentum to shift and the mentality of their players. We have to learn to be cool, to still try and pass it out and get into alright positions, still try to attack, to be aggressive off the ball and get into their half. We invited the pressure.”