Bruce bemoans poor display

Steve Bruce lamented Sunderland's inability to build on their performance against Stoke after they were beaten by his old team Norwich.

Goals from Leon Barnett and Steve Morison in each half for the Canaries helped them to back-to-back wins in the Premier League and their first of the season at Carrow Road.

Kieran Richardson's arrowed drive helped reduce arrears but it was too little too late as the Black Cat's fell to their third defeat in six Premier League games.

For Bruce the disappointment was all the more acute after he thought they had turned the corner after beating Stoke 4-0 last week.

Cheaply

He told Sky Sports: "We didn't pass it as well as we normally do, we gave the ball away too cheaply, which is one thing which we have improved on, especially after the performance against Stoke.

"Today we had too many people that gave the ball away too cheaply, well for me anyway.

"We made a rally towards the end, but we needed to score maybe a little earlier and then it might have been a bit different. But overall I'm slightly disappointed with it."

Bruce was disappointed with the timing of Norwich's second goal which came within minutes of the restart, which in effect killed the game.

Timing

He added: "Well the timing, straight afterwards we've switched off and not gone with runners and not the done the basics, and the first one was exactly the same.

"They played a one-two down the side of us and we've switched off for that minute, and that's what it takes.

"But fair play to Norwich and the crowd and all the rest of them. It was going to be a difficult one, and one in which we needed to play well on the night, and unfortunately we didn't do that."