Birmingham City boss Garry Monk admitted he had no complaints about the result after his side lost 3-1 to promotion-chasing Norwich last night.

Even though Che Adams cancelled out Teemu Pukki's opener, two more first-half goals from Mario Vrancic and Tom Trybull sealed a comfortable win for the hosts.

It extends Blues' winless run to five games in all competitions and Monk told Birmingham Live that his side just weren't near their best at Carrow Road.

"There are no excuses from us. Norwich deserved to win that game. If we look at it honestly we weren't near our levels at all tonight, with or without the ball.

"It's disappointing because I have not had to say that very often this season. We were well below our levels."

The defeat means that the West Midlands outfit failed to close the gap on sixth-placed Derby, who could go seven points ahead of Blues if they beat Reading this afternoon.

Meanwhile, it's an extended break for Monk's men now, who don't play for ten days due to the FA Cup next weekend.

The Verdict

This is good to hear as you often hear excuses made by a manager once his side have lost but Monk is very honest.

Ultimately, it was a rare off day for his side in terms of their organisation and defensive discipline and whilst he needs to address that, there is no need to overreact.

It was a big opportunity missed for the side though and that will have frustrated the ex-Leeds boss.

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