Huddersfield Town 3-0 Norwich City
- Published
Nahki Wells (left) forced two saves from Michael McGovern in the second half before scoring Huddersfield's third goal against Norwich
Three goals in seven second-half minutes gave Huddersfield a 3-0 win over Norwich which lifted the Terriers back up to third in the Championship.
Elias Kachunga nipped in after Norwich failed to clear a long ball to score his 12th goal of the season.
Aaron Mooy made it 2-0 with a low shot that beat Michael McGovern at his near post and Nahki Wells fired in a third underneath the visitors' goalkeeper.
Huddersfield are nine points behind Brighton with a game in hand.
Philip Billing had hit the post in the opening minutes for the home side and Wells struck the woodwork late on, although their three goals came at a time when Norwich - who remain nine points off a play-off place with six games to play - were having their best spell of the match.
However, the game turned when Canaries defender Ryan Bennett did not deal with Tommy Smith's hopeful pass forward and Kachunga outpaced his opponent before firing in first time past McGovern.
Huddersfield's victory ensured a successful return to action for midfielder Jonathan Hogg, less than three weeks after a neck injury which threatened to rule him out for the remainder of the season.
There were fears that Hogg had fractured his neck in the 4-0 loss at Bristol City on 17 March, but the initial diagnosis was proved incorrect and he was cleared to return to training at the start of April.
Huddersfield head coach David Wagner: "There is a long way to go but this is a big step towards a play-off position, and that's an unbelievable achievement for this club.
"I've said all along, but people don't believe me, that we don't feel any pressure. We are enjoying what we are doing. We are still the small dog Huddersfield Town. Look at our budget. We know where we have come from and we know how hard it is to win in the Championship.
"I am delighted about the performance all over the pitch. It was a totally deserved win and I am very proud of the players. We were poor against Bristol City but you try to learn and get better and we were unlucky to lose against Burton. Tonight we showed what we are capable of. The players trust each other and believe in what we are doing."
Norwich interim boss Alan Irvine: "We went from being in a promising position to caving in and that is something the new manager needs to address. have been frank with the players and they have said the same among themselves. We cannot cave in like this.
"It's a weakness of character that we've had this season and that must change. Alex (Neil) tried to solve that by changing the personnel because he thought it might be individuals, but it's throughout the team at the present time.
"Whoever comes in will make their own decisions. It appears to be clear what needs to be done but it's someone else's decision."
- Published3 April 2017
- Published6 April 2017
