Sunderland came back to defeat Norwich City 2-1 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

Johannes Hoff Thorup stated he had no issues about the decision to show Jose Cordoba a second yellow card in Norwich City’s defeat to Sunderland, but he believes the referee made several other crucial decisions incorrectly.

Cordoba’s ejection was a turning point in the game, with Jobe Bellingham scoring Sunderland’s winner from the resulting set play. Thorup said he met with the officials after the game because he was frustrated with some of their decisions over the 90 minutes, which resulted in a 2-1 loss for this team.

“The first half was good for us, we did well in some moments,” Thorup informed the crowd.

“We defended brilliantly and scarcely gave up any opportunities; I’d have liked us to be a little better on the ball and generate more. Nonetheless, we were able to defend the open spaces where they were most likely to assault. So the first half was fine, but the second half changed dramatically after the early goal, and I’m not satisfied with the next 20 minutes because it became too open, too crazy, with too many duels, fouls, and random scenarios.

“He can give the red card, and he chose to do so. I’d have liked to see some different calls in different scenarios, but that’s probably not a topic for this discussion because he obviously missed several huge ones. I spoke with Jose because he needs to be more cunning in situations like that. Unfortunately, many things are beyond our control. The big calls are not in our favour. We spent some time with the officials after the game because we needed answers about what was going on, but we did it in a respectful manner, and I wish them a Merry Christmas.”

Thorup was satisfied with his team’s effort in the first half, but believed the second half was too open, which played against them.

“I think we have a team that can match them, without being disrespectful,” he told me.

“Congratulations to them because they have performed well, particularly at home where they have a strong record and bring intensity. We knew it would be difficult, but I believe in my team, and in a game where we can have more control, make more passes, and stretch it, as we did in the first half, we can compete. The second half was too open, too wide, and focused too much on duels; this is not our favorite game. “I believe this is where the game changed today.”

Sunderland’s victory increased their lead over Norwich in the Championship table to seventeen points, with the Black Cats fourth at Christmas.