We gifted Sheffield Wednesday that win, says Norwich City boss Alex Neil after Hillsborough hammering

Norwich City manager Alex Neil said his players only had themselves to blame for 'gifting' Sheffield Wednesday their goals in a 5-1 win for the Owls at Hillsborough.
Morgan Fox heads in Sheffield Wednesday's third against NorwichMorgan Fox heads in Sheffield Wednesday's third against Norwich
Morgan Fox heads in Sheffield Wednesday's third against Norwich

Ross Wallace and Jordan Rhodes had Wednesday 2-0 up before Cameron Jerome offered some hope to the Canaries, but Morgan Fox's header before half time ensured a two-goal lead at the break.

Rhodes added his second soon after the restart and Fernando Forestieri capped off a fine team and individual display with a brilliant 25 yard free kick.

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Neil said the first two goals were the killer and his team didn't start playing to that point but accepted it was probably too late by then.

"I'm obviously disappointed and frustrated. I think we understood the gravity of the game but ultimately we didn't handle it.

"We gifted two goals to Sheffield Wednesday and then started to play a little bit," he said. "If you're going to gift two goals to a team like Sheffield Wednesday, you're going to struggle.

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"We could and should have done a lot more. There was not the intensity that we should have had. The first one was a mistake and for the second we lost the ball on the wide right position and then didn't defend our box.

"We didn't handle the magnitude of the game and a few honest words were spoken after the game. The lads were disappointed with their performance and they know they should have done better. They know it was unacceptable."