Norwich City head coach Liam Manning has issued an apology to supporters after leaving the pitch immediately following a 2-0 home defeat to Hull City.
The loss marked a seventh consecutive home defeat for the Canaries, who remain deep in the Championship relegation zone after 13 matches.
Hull’s second-half goals from Joe Gelhardt and Darko Gyabi sealed another damaging afternoon for Norwich, whose bright start quickly unravelled in front of a restless Carrow Road crowd.
Boos and chants aimed at Manning and sporting director Ben Knapper filled the air, with the head coach later admitting his decision to head straight for the dressing room was a mistake.
Fans not letting Liam manning and the players leave 🤣🤣🤣 #ncfc pic.twitter.com/b4WMOyJt0T
— joe (@ncfcjoee) November 1, 2025
Manning’s Honest Admission
Manning apologised for avoiding the post-match protests, acknowledging that frustration got the better of him.
“That was poor of me and I apologise for that,” he said. “Sometimes the disappointment gets the better of you – and I didn’t want to go out there and antagonise people – but I was wrong not to go on the pitch.”
The Norwich boss reflected on another game that followed a familiar pattern: a promising first half undone by defensive frailty after the break.
“We started brightly, with purpose and created a lot of chances – but we didn’t take them. Then we don’t deal with their change and they score one of the softest goals I have seen at this level,” he explained. Manning also admitted his side are struggling under pressure:
“When you are on the ropes you have to scrap and fight. Of course I’m hurting – it’s unacceptable to lose the number of games we have.”
Liam Manning, Norwich’s 007…#NCFC pic.twitter.com/iYKWWK7nNG
— The Real EFL (@RealEFLSocial) November 1, 2025
Hull’s Resilience and Norwich’s Struggles
Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic praised his players for weathering the early storm before striking decisively in the second half.
“In the first half we just survived,” he said. “They were much better than us but the players stuck together and showed a lot of character and fight to get a huge three points.”
Norwich had numerous chances to take the lead, with Josh Sargent missing early on, Jeffery Schlupp hitting the bar, and Oscar Schwartau failing to find the target. Those misses proved costly as Gelhardt netted his sixth goal of the season before Gyabi’s late strike confirmed the result.
The defeat leaves Norwich winless at Carrow Road since the opening weekend and intensifies pressure on Manning, who admitted post-match that “something has to change.”
