Rotherham United boss Matt Taylor bemoans mounting injuries and referee after defeat to Norwich City

Coming off an agonising 3-2 defeat at Burnley in the '100th minute' less than 72 hours earlier, the Millers' squad depth took another hit against Norwich City at the New York Stadium.

Already trailing to Kenny McLean's 16th minute header, Matt Taylor saw two strikers hobble off within five minutes if each other.

First Conor Washington limped off with a leg injury and then his replacement Georgie Kelly pulled up after chasing a through ball.

It made Rotherham's task that much harder against a team that were two divisions higher than them last season.

They did manage to briefly restore parity four minutes into the second half. On a rare occasion when they found space in Norwich's half, Ollie Rathbone raced at a retreating defence, put the ball on his left foot and beat Angus Gunn from 18 yards.

But Norwich reasserted their authority within 60 seconds when Aaron Ramsey slotted home a loose ball six yards from goal after Josh Sargent's initial shot had been blocked.

Rotherham felt they should have had a penalty at the end but Chiedozie Ogbene was booked for diving.

"The performance was pretty much where it needed to be against another top team," said Millers boss Taylor, who now has two days to prepare his team for their next difficult appointment, a South Yorkshire derby with Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Tuesday.

"It was a 98 per cent performance I'm afraid. We got back into the game and 30 seconds later, they're ahead again. We're climbing mountains."

Taylor bemoaned what he felt was a “one-sided” refereeing display as his side were denied a late penalty, believing Chiedozie Ogbene had been felled by Isaac Hayden. Referee Dean Whitestone instead booked the Republic of Ireland winger for simulation.

“It’s a clear penalty, added Taylor. “It seemed to be a very one-sided officiating affair. He has made two huge errors. I am sounding like a broken record but I can’t describe those moments any other way. The culmination of decisions which went against us was incredible. It feels like a lot is going against us.”

Rotherham United: Johansson, Hall (Peltier 54), Wood, Harding, Kioso (Eaves 54), Lindsay, Barlaser, Rathbone, Brook Norton-Cuffy, Wiles, Washington (Kelly 37), Kelly (Ogbene 45). Unused substitutes: Odofin, Humphreys, Vickers.

Norwich City: Gunn, Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, McCallum (Gibbs 88), Gabriel Sara, Hayden, McLean, Ramsey (Cantwell 70), Pukki (Hugill 90), Sargent. Unused substitutes: Krul, Dowell, Hernandez, Giannoulis.

Referee: Dean Whitestone (Northamptonshire).