Norwich City boss Chris Hughton admits his players were flagging at the end of their victory over Sunderland.

Hughton felt his players felt the strain of playing three matches in the space of a week as they struggled to contain Sunderland during the second half.

Hughton named the same 10 outfield players for the two draws against Everton and Southampton as he did for the win over Sunderland and reckons fatigue could have started to take its toll.

"I thought we were excellent in the first half and it is difficult to sustain that over 90 minutes, particularly with it being the third game in a week," he said.

"We haven't made any changes to the team so to sustain that for 90 minutes is tough and of course their goal gave them the lift they needed.

"It was a real tough shift in that second half so testament to the players, there were saves that needed to be made and bodies that needed to be in front of some balls and they did that."