Norwich boss Daniel Farke has vowed to lay down the law as he looks to build on the Canaries’ FA Cup fourth-round win at Burnley and achieve a “little miracle” of Premier League survival.
Farke’s men may languish six points adrift at the foot of the table but they earned some respite as second-half goals from Grant Hanley and Josip Drmic booked their place in the fifth round for the first time since 2012.
And Farke, who made seven changes for the trip to Turf Moor, insisted he is not afraid to make more big decisions even if it means upsetting some of his first-team regulars.
Farke said: “I am not here to win the Nobel Peace Prize – I am here to win football matches and everybody has to accept my decisions.
“Several players who didn’t make it into the starting line-up in recent weeks are of course sometimes a bit moody, they are not dancing on the tables.
“Although they can’t take it for granted, they came in and they produced a top-class performance, and this says a lot about the character and spirit of the group.
“We are heading in the right direction. We want to be as successful as possible in the FA Cup, and from next week to work our little miracle to surprise everyone and to stay in the Premier League.”
Farke was fully justified in taking confidence from a vibrant Canaries display against opponents who were evidently suffering a lingering hangover from their midweek win at Manchester United.
Drmic almost marked his full debut in extraordinary fashion when he missed a golden opportunity to put his side in front just seven seconds into the game, after being played clear from kick-off.
But Drmic’s effort set the tone for a remarkably open first period in which Sam Byram, Oriel Hernandez and Lukas Rupp all came close for the visitors, while James Tarkowski and Robbie Brady had the best of the home side’s chances.
Norwich swung the tie in their favour in four minutes early in the second half, Hanley nodding home a Mario Vrancic corner before Drmic swept up after Rupp’s attempted lob had been parried by Joe Hart.
Burnley reduced the deficit through Erik Pieters but the Canaries hung onto their victory with relative ease, leaving Clarets boss Sean Dyche to focus on ensuring Premier League survival.
Dyche said: “I know there are some who will say it was ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’, but I don’t think it was the case.
“We’ve had two very good results – including an historic one at Old Trafford – and we wanted to win this one today not just because it was a cup game, but for the mentality.
“(But) tomorrow morning I will reflect on whether we could have done without another round and a midweek game, in among some big league games. The business side has to be factored in.”
