City boss Glenn Roeder took a leaf straight out of his pal Arsene Wenger's book yesterday as everyone reviewed the last, tumultuous minutes of that 1-0 win over Sheffield United.
It was a win that lifted the Canaries out of the bottom three, took their points haul to a title-winning 12 from the last 15 and took Roeder's early reputation among the City faithful to a new high.
It could, however, have been all so different had a linesman's flag not fluttered for offside the moment that Matthew Kilgallon rose at the far post to head the Blades level.
'No, no? I haven't looked again?' was the gist of Roeder's stance afterwards; what United boss Bryan Robson thought is anyone's guess; he didn't linger long enough at Carrow Road to attend the post-match Press conference.
Suffice to say that the afternoon's referee would be a Deadman walking were he ever to set foot in the red half of Sheffield. By one count, four yellow cards followed first the decision and then the final whistle as United's players and officials vented their fury at anyone dressed in black.
It was, according to one City player who had seen the video monitor, ?two yards on?; cue many a wry smile from United's hosts after Lady Luck, for once, gave them a break. Stood squarely in front of the travelling Sheffield supporters, it was a very brave decision by the far assistant to halt their celebrations.
?It was never going to be an easy win against Sheffield United with the best away win in the Championship,? said a delighted Roeder afterwards.
City had turned in arguably their best 45 minutes under his charge in the first-half as Canary keeper David Marshall was left to watch through the swirling rain as Ched Evans continued to pen his own fairy tale with his tenth minute opener and Norwich carved open their visitors time and again.
?We could have made it easier for ourselves ? we missed a number of chances. And at half-time, I said to the boys: 'We've let these off the hook here?'
?The important thing was that we kept a clean sheet in the second-half, but we had to survive a little bit of an onslaught.?
Even then the chances came as City found time and space on the counter; decision-making wasn't always their strongest suit as Paddy Kenny's goal hoved into view.
?With a little bit more luck; a little bit more care and quality we could have finished them off. But at the end of the day ? thankfully ? one was enough.?
Had he seen the offside 'goal' again? ?No,? he said.
?But the linesman put his flag up so quickly he must have been 100 per cent certain that it was offside. I haven't had a chance to see it myself and I've got to trust the linesman that he's got it right.
?Bryan (Robson) is very upset which is understandable ? I would have been upset as well because it's an emotional game.
?He probably thought at the time that he'd snatched a point that he probably never thought was coming.?
Most of the latest Carrow Road full-house could, however, sense that a goal was coming as United threw everything into the City box.
Once again, opportunity knocked for 38-year-old Dion Dublin to prove his worth as the second-half substitute produced a fabulous defensive header to deny James Beattie a clear chance; once again, Martin Taylor proved the rock upon which that clean sheet was built with a towering performance on potentially his last game in his City shirt.
?We have to be prepared to put the team before ourselves and I think we've shown that today,? said the new City chief, as he saluted his side's 'Thou shall not pass?' application.
?There were a couple of headers late on that probably epitomised what we are about now,? he added.
?One I can remember from Dion Dublin, I just don't know how he reached that. It was a goal; the lad was there; it'd have been a free header six yards out ? and I'd thought it had cleared him.
?But he found some extra spring in those old legs and it was a fantastic header. Jon O ? as I call him ? he got one late on as well at the back post where he found extra spring,? said Roeder, with one of his managerial tenets close to hand.
?I said to them: 'When you think you've done enough, find some more?' and that's what some of them are doing. When they think they've done enough, they're finding some more.?
Again, he had to pay tribute to the crowd who turned up the volume to a new level as everything bar the kitchen sink began to head into the City box.
?I've been to Carrow Road many times as a player, a coach and a manager and I thought the last 15 minutes was the loudest that I've ever heard it inside Carrow Road.
?And it just shows that when I said ? which we are ? all very nice people up here in Norfolk, that when we get our backs up and things are going well, we can be loud.
?And we need to be loud. And the boys commented after the game about the crowd ? they really enjoy playing in front of the crowd at the moment.
?They know that the crowd are recognising how much hard work they're putting in ? and playing some good football along the way as well.?
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