Norwich manager Daniel Farke paid tribute to his players and the home supporters after substitute Onel Hernandez scored twice in stoppage time to earn a 3-3 draw with Nottingham Forest at Carrow Road.
Substitute Hernandez netted in the fourth and eighth minutes of time added on to rescue an unlikely point for the Canaries, who had looked dead and buried after trailing 3-0 with just 13 minutes of normal time remaining.
Farke said: “When that final goal went in it was like an explosion – it was something really special.
“I am so proud of my players for the way they kept going right until the end but I must also praise the supporters for the way they stuck with the team when we went 3-0 down. Their backing helped us get back in the game and I am so pleased that we were able to reward them by taking a point from this game.
“There is great unity here at the moment between players, staff and the supporters – it’s something really special.”
Farke said the moment Hernandez’s equaliser hit the back of the net summed up why he had got involved in football in the first place.
He added: “Moments like these remind you why we started to play football in the first place, why we love it so much. It’s not about bonuses, contracts or even promotion – it’s about scoring goals like that and putting smiles on the faces of the fans. That’s why we play the game – for them.
“It is amazing we came away with something after the way the game had gone. I think we had 30 shots on goal, so many chances, and yet we weren’t winning the game.
“Forest scored with just about their only shot of the first half and then we should have a penalty when Jack Robinson clearly handled in the box. Both the referee and linesman seemed to see it but nothing was given. He was on a yellow card so he should have been off – and then a few minutes later he scored and Forest are 2-0.
“So much went against us – but we kept going and got our reward in the end.”
Forest had taken the lead on the stroke of half-time when Matty Cash robbed Max Aarons and fired home and the visitors appeared to be out of sight after scoring twice in eight minutes midway through the half.
Robinson lashed home a loose ball from close range to make it 2-0 and then Cash stroked home his second of the game after being set up by Joe Lolley.
But with Norwich continuing to pour forward, the Forest defence just couldn’t cope and once Mario Vrancic had reduced the arrears with a deflected shot the hosts created chance after chance before finally getting what they deserved.
Hernandez made it 3-2 with a cross that went straight in through a forest of legs before the real drama arrived in the final minute of injury time as the winger found himself with a clear sight of goal as the visiting defence parted and blasted home to spark wild celebrations.
Forest boss Aitor Karanka refused to accept his side had panicked in the closing stages – publicly at least.
He said: “I have my thoughts on the game but I really can’t tell you.
“It was a crazy game, I can say that, and in the end I thought we were punished for two mistakes, when we should have got the ball away.
“This has not been happening all the time – in many games recently we have been well organised and defended well.
“You also have to remember that we were playing a very good side, who have been doing well recently. It’s also true that us leading 3-0 wasn’t maybe fair because they had a lot of chances.
“Before the game if someone had told me we would take a point against Norwich I would have accepted that – so we have to take this point and move on to the next game.”
