Norwich City withstood a second-half surge from Sunderland to record a 2-1 victory at Carrow Road this afternoon.

The Canaries had the better of the first half, as goals from Sebastien Bassong and Anthony Pilkington put them in the lead.

Craig Gardner's goal just before half time lifted Sunderland's spirits, but they could not score an equaliser in the second period.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look to see if the result was fair.

Match statistics:

Norwich:
Shots 8
On target 3
Possession 50%
Corners 2
Fouls 11

Sunderland:
Shots 16
On target 5
Possession 50%
Corners 6
Fouls 17

Was the result fair?

No. Despite a woeful first-half display, Sunderland did enough to earn a point in the second. However, they didn't put their chances away and only have themselves to blame. It was a really open game and an enjoyable one to watch, even if the quality wasn't exactly startling.

Norwich's performance

7/10. The Canaries began brightly and deservedly took the lead in the seventh minute through Sebastien Bassong. Chris Hughton had his team fired up for the game and it was one-way traffic for the best part of 35 minutes. Anthony Pilkington's goal looked to be setting Sunderland on course for a miserable afternoon. However, Craig Gardner's goal just before half time completely changed the outlook of the game. Norwich were put under immense pressure after the break and looked extremely vulnerable at times. They could have easily found themselves 4-2 down, but Sunderland's wasteful finishing helped them bag all three points.

Sunderland's performance

6/10. It's difficult to put a number on their performance, as (to use the old cliche) it was a game of two halves. Their first-half showing deserved nothing more than a four. They were lazy in possession and their attacking play left so much to be desired. It took Gardner's goal from absolutely nowhere to restore hope just before the interval, making Martin O'Neill's half-time team talk that little bit easier. The Black Cats were a completely different team in the second period, and had three or four good chances to restore parity. It was like night and day. Steven Fletcher was withdrawn at half time with an ankle injury and would no doubt have craved that sort of service, of which he had been starved.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Mark Bunn: The goalkeeper made a few vital saves in the second half to stop Sunderland from snatching a point. He tipped Craig Gardner's swerving free kick onto the post, before keeping out Stephan Sessegnon when the Frenchman raced through one on one.

Biggest gaffe

There can be only one winner: Matthew Kilgallon. The defender was presented with a glorious opportunity to draw his team level when following up from Garder's free kick, which had come crashing off the post. He was six yards out and with an open goal to aim at, but skied his shot. He'll be kicking himself.

Referee performance

Phil Dowd did ok today. He only got his cards out twice, for Kilgallon and Phil Bardsley.

What next?

Norwich: The Canaries travel to the Liberty Stadium to face Swansea City on Saturday.

Sunderland: The Black Cats welcome Chelsea to the Stadium of Light, also on Saturday.