Norwich vs Tottenham Results: Andre Villas-Boas Admits His Side 'Let it Slip' Against the Canaries; Hughton Admits Luck Played its Part

Nov 01, 2012 03:45 AM EDT

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas admitted his side "let it slip" in their League Cup game against Norwich.

Norwich scored two late goals to score a narrow 2-1 win over Spurs and move into the quarterfinals. Gareth Bale's stunning strike midway through the second half had given the away side a 1-0 lead, but a Jan Vertonghen own goal and an 86th minute winner from Simeon Jackson ensured progress.

Reserve goalkeeper Mark Bunn also produced a brilliant last-gasp save off a Clint Dempsey penalty in the dying moments of the game to hand the Canaries a vital victory.

"It was disappointing," Villas-Boas said. "I think we played a good game, controlled the possession and played good football in the first and second half.

"We had a good share of opportunities, so it's a pity to see us lose the game in this way, in the last few minutes.

"We set out to try and win this game and to let it slip in the end is difficult for everyone.

"We feel the frustration and the disappointment from not making it into the quarterfinals, but we move on and focus on Wigan now."

Norwich manager Chris Hughton expressed his happiness at picking up a second straight win over a North London side, after the Canaries' English Premier League triumph over Arsenal earlier this month. Hughton, however, admitted luck played its part in the win.

"Sometimes you need that little bit of fortune but you have to be in the right place," he said. "The first goal takes a little bit of a deflection and we have not had one of them all season or a penalty go in our favour.

"Sometimes you have to force the issue. It was a fairly cagey game but they started the second half better than us. Once they scored we had to go for it. I knew what we had in the team and we had some players that hadn't played so you just wanted to bring some energy into the side.

"In the first half I thought we coped okay. Perhaps we weren't quite as big a threat. They were better than us in that second half period. We found it a little bit harder and I was going to make the substitutions just before I did. Irrespective of the team you put out you want to win every game and that is now three games unbeaten."

Hughton praised Bunn for making a timely save. "I thought he was excellent," the Norwich manager added. "Even when he came out right at the end and he is very brave punching through bodies. It was a real good game for him but he is a really good goalkeeper.

"I can't imagine there was any fault on his part for the goal because it was a wonderful strike from Gareth Bale. He will always be a threat, now, next week and the week after because of the quality he has. I thought he showed good composure and in the times when he had to show good hands he did that."

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