Lambert hails Canaries display

Published Oct. 2, 2011 3:15 p.m. ET

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Lambert refused to bemoan a missed opportunity, even though the Canaries were good value for a point and could easily have claimed more. Instead, the Scot wanted to concentrate on the merit of an excellent team display that once again showed his side are a worthy addition to the top flight. "We have started the season really well for a team that has just come up," he said. "The performances are there. That is the great thing about it. We are playing well enough to pick up points and seem to be getting better with each game." Should Norwich repeat their display against lesser opposition, they can expect to pick up more wins than the back-to-back triumphs recorded prior to their encounter with United. Yet if Anthony Pilkington had shown more composure after finding himself clean through or been more fortunate with a shot that deflected onto a post before bouncing back to a grateful Anders Lindegaard, Norwich could have emulated their Old Trafford wins of 1988 and 1989. Instead, Anderson and Danny Welbeck scored at the other end to deliver a harsh lesson about life in the top flight for a club that has swept up the leagues thanks to successive promotions. "Two years ago we were in League One," said Lambert. "Now we are playing against a team that took eight off Arsenal. "But if you switch off for the slightest millisecond against one of these massive clubs, you get hurt." As Lambert observed, that has always been the case. What he prefers to do heading into another international break is reflect on a positive start to his club's first top-flight campaign since 2005. "I cannot fault my players for what they have done," he said. "I keep hearing people saying we don't have any stars. But that is being detrimental to them. "We have some top footballers who have earned the right to play in this league. "A lot of them have been with me since League One. "They were never going to be overawed by this division and if we keep performing like that, we will be okay."