By Gareth James
Neil Harris admitted Cardiff City had been beaten by a superior Norwich City as they crashed to a 2-0 defeat at Carrow Road.
The Bluebirds hopes of forcing their way into the top six over the festive period were dealt a blow by the table-toppers.
City were poor but did their cause little help as they stood-off allowing Emiliano Buendiato and Todd Cantwell to strike from outside the box in either half.
“To me it looked like a game too far for us,” said Harris. “We looked leggy, we looked laboured at times and we made errors we don’t usually make.
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“When you play against good teams you can’t give them opportunities like we did. I can’t fault the players’ effort.
“The goals summed us up – we got split in midfield, half a yard off all over the pitch, and when you give players like they’ve got an opportunity, even from 25 yards, they find the bottom corners.
“They’re Premier League players.
Buendia fired the canaries, who had won their previous four games, ahead on 20 minutes after being allowed to make ground before scoring with a low shot.
Again, City looked most threatening from set-pieces and skipper Sean Morrison was denied a leveller by Michael McGovern’s spectacular one-handed save.
The home side – looking to bounce straight back to the top-flight – missed several chances to make it more of a miserable afternoon for Harris’ men.
But Cantwell finally sealed the victory with a fierce shot into the top corner – again as City’s defenders backed off and gave him the space.
“I think people will be watching that and thinking Norwich are a really good side and we weren’t at our best, so it might look like a gulf between the two,” added Harris.
“Ultimately, they have got a more in-depth squad, a better quality squad, built from being in the Premier League last season and that’s what we aspire to.
“They’ve got some experience and some real energy in their play and you look at the changes they could make and it’s quite phenomenal really.
“But we are capable of competing with the top sides and we have seen it this season at times and last season.
“That’s what we want to be ourselves, a top-six side, and today I just felt, without criticising my players, the energy levels weren’t there at all.
“We didn’t get close enough to players, that half a yard makes a massive difference against top sides and we weren’t able to do that today.”