Norwich head coach Dean Smith bemoaned individual errors as he admitted standards had “dropped massively” following a Boxing Day thrashing at the hands of Arsenal.
A brace from Bukayo Saka either side of a rare Kieran Tierney goal put the Gunners on course for three points before a late penalty from Alexandre Lacazette and a goal from substitute Emile Smith Rowe secured a comfortable 5-0 win. .
The victory leaves Arsenal six points clear in fourth place as they recorded consecutive away wins for the first time in the league this season.
While the visitors continued on a good run, Norwich remain entrenched at the bottom of the table.
Smith was unhappy with the costly mistakes that saw his team fall short of the standards he has demanded since replacing Daniel Farke.
He said: “To be honest it was very difficult, I didn’t see it coming.
“The first half of the last game (a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa) was poor, but two games ago we were toe to toe with Man United and we had the fans out of their seats.
“This was as flat a performance as we have ever had and was riddled with unforced errors.
“We have to be better than that and we are better than that, unfortunately standards have dropped massively since the Manchester United game, there are reasons for that, but I’m not here to make excuses.”
Those reasons are likely to be a combination of injuries and positive Covid cases, and Smith admits he faces a “bigger job” to keep Norwich going due to the state of his squad.
Meanwhile, it was an excellent performance at Carrow Road from Arteta and the Spaniard was left purring for the performance.
“I’m very happy,” he said.
“It’s not easy to win away from home in this league, the way we played and how dominant we were was really impressive.
“I think overall, collectively and individually, we had great performances and you don’t win 5-0 away from home if you don’t do that, so I’m happy with all the boys.”
Arteta also highlighted the progression made throughout the season, having beaten Norwich 1-0 in the second leg when it was his team, and not the Canaries, that started at the bottom of the table.
When asked if the confidence his players showed was a result of the different feeling within the team, he replied: “Yes, probably.
“The direction that the team is taking, how we are growing, the understanding between the players, the unity that we have been showing in general and the support that we have been receiving in all fields is closely linked to the way in which we can transmit and the way we want to play.
“That’s what we’re here for, to create fun and if they enjoy it, I’m sure people will enjoy watching them play, they like each other a lot, they enjoy playing with each other and you can see it.”
