'Deserved' - David Wagner pinpoints what Norwich City never allowed Preston North End to do

Norwich City manager David Wagner has identified the two key factors in his side’s 0-1 win at Preston North End.

The Canaries took a huge step towards securing a play-off place, with three points at Deepdale - thanks to Gabriel Sara’s 86th minute strike. North End knew they needed to win, to keep their hopes of breaking into the top six alive.

Ryan Lowe’s side rattled the woodwork, just before half time, but were largely nullified by the visitors - who limited PNE to a couple of shots on target. Wagner explained how Norwich looked to nullify Preston’s threat on the break and gain control in the match through ball possession.

Post-match, he said: "In ball possession we were very calm, very composed and never rushed it -without creating so many clear cut chances. We always looked in control and I always had the feeling that we should score. We gave very little away and they are a threat in transition, which we avoided - and a threat in set pieces, they showed why. This was the only area where we had some problems. It was a deserved win.

“With the amount of pressure that the opponent's manager put on this game, it was important to keep your head calm and cool the fans down. The players did this because they kept long spells of ball possession. I, on purpose, haven't put so much pressure on this game - because sometimes it could be a big backpack for the players if you do this. To have a clean sheet, a good performance and a win in a game like this - it's a very, very good afternoon."