Lambert reflects on what might have been

Norwich City manager Paul Lambert regretted his team’s failure to be ruthless in front of goal following their 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

The Scot was left to rue missed chances, most notably one from winger Anthony Pilkington, before Manchester United took the lead through a close-range header by Brazilian midfielder Anderson and Danny Welbeck sealed victory late on.

“It is a fabulous arena to play football in but if you get chances you have got to take them because if you don’t there is always a chance that will come back to bite you and that is what happened to us,” Lambert said.

“It is not rocket science. Man United are one of the best teams in Europe let alone Britain and the magnitude of the club is huge because of the way Sir Alex Ferguson has built it and they have fabulous players.”

“It wasn’t a damage-limitation exercise. If you sit back and wait they will eventually score so we always try to get a foot-hold in the game and try to win it ourselves.”

“The players are disappointed because they know we missed great chances before they scored.”

Despite the outcome of the game that saw United claim a record-breaking 19th successive home league victory, Lambert remained positive about the way his newly-promoted side are adapting to life in the Premier League.

“Two years ago we were in League One and so I am proud of the players because they gave everything.”

“You can tell by the way the fans react and the Norwich fans were different class because they saw the effort that we put in. I can’t ask for anymore from the players,” Lambert added.

“Man United are going to be there or thereabouts again – not just domestically but in the Champions League they will be close again and you can see why because they are a terrific side.

“My God, they scored eight against Arsenal. So I will not fault my players but it showed that if you switch off for a milli-second around here you get hurt. That is what happens when you go to massive clubs.”

“I am really gutted for the players because of the way they played and the effort and the chances they created. I am not going to be too down-hearted.”

“It is disappointing to lose but we can take a lot of satisfying moments from the game.”