Norwich City put in a “fully dominant” performance against Nottingham Forest, according to Canaries boss Daniel Farke.
And he reeled off some stats to prove it.
The one which counted was the 2-0 scoreline to the visitors as Chris Hughton’s Reds failed to get anywhere close to their title-chasing opponents.
It was a painful night for those of a Forest persuasion as they were comfortably beaten, with a clear gulf in class between the two sides on show.
Goals from Teemu Pukki and ex-Red Kieran Dowell killed the game off inside the opening 13 minutes amid a poor first half from the hosts.
Hughton’s men did improve after the break, but it wasn’t enough to trouble Norwich, who are firmly on course for a return to the Premier League.
“It was a fantastic performance. It's been a while since a side was able to score more than one goal against a well-structured Chris Hughton side,” Farke told the club website.
“I think it was 12 or 13 games ago that happened. They have many clean-sheets.
“What we delivered in the first half was fantastic. We were all over them and scored two fantastic goals, creating an unbelievable amount of chances.
“We could have easily scored three, four or five goals.
“We ended up with more than 700 passes and more than 90 percent passing accuracy with nearly 70 percent possession and 22 shots. I think it was a focused and quality performance.
“In the second half, we had the better chances but it was important to play without mistakes and without allowing them anything. It says a lot about a side when they can bring the likes of (Glenn) Murray and (Lyle) Taylor in during a game and their offensive quality.
“We reduced them to just one chance in the game so it was an all round performance - top in possession and creating chances and good in terms of controlling and defending the game - so a mature performance that I’m happy with.”
Forest had just 34 percent possession in the game and managed five efforts on goal, compared to Norwich's 22 - with only one of those on target.
Farke added: “It was a fully dominant performance and important that we started this game proactive in our counter pressing and pressing, which were spot on after just two days of rest. To be greedy and aggressive on the front foot and push them into their half.
“With our passing choice we found the right balance between calming the game down and speeding the game up when it was possible and necessary. It was one of the best performances during the season.”
Dowell said of returning to the City Ground, where he spent a spell on loan: “It’s weird, it’s been strange coming back to Nottingham altogether.
“I had a great time here and still know a few people here, but it’s always nice to score!
“It’s always nice to have a good start to make a good impression. Hopefully I can keep in the bosses plans now.”
