So perhaps we should all have seen Martin Olsson's dramatic winner coming. Judging from the manner in which I got hugged by random strangers, however, I'm guessing we didn't. He would certainly not have been analysed as a dangerous foe: that award would probably go to Aleksandr Mitrovic, who certainly fulfilled his part in the second half. Sadly for those of a Geordie persuasion, his contribution would be rendered meaningless, though Newcastle fans should not lose hope just yet.
First Half - Timm Waits For No Man
The late drama would have been tricky to anticipate after the first fifteen minutes, with the tension in all four stands palpable. Norwich came into this one off the back of two good results against Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion, but they had not won at home since January. As for Newcastle, I was present the last time they won away, at my beloved White Hart Lane: that was in December. Someone would have to take this one by the scruff of the neck to change those statistics: after 17 minutes, Dieumerci Mbokani ever so nearly did, but he was ruled marginally offside. This only served to ramp the tension further, but the Magpies refused to buckle in this battle of the birds. Karl Darlow had been the focus of attention before kick-off as he prepared to make only his second start of the season, but he was in determined mood, saving well from Robbie Brady and Mbokani on the half-hour mark. The home side were having the better chances, but it seemed there was nothing doing.
Unfortunately, Newcastle's fans decided to demonstrate rather excellently their ability to be either their side's best friends or worst enemies by time-wasting as the half-way mark approached: by refusing to throw the ball back into play, they simply prolonged the time added on by Mike Dean, and Norwich took full advantage with a well-executed free-kick: Brady put the chance on a plate for Timm Klose, who headed his side into a deserved half-time lead.
Second Half - Benitez Beaten, Barely
It was clear from the away side's inability to use possession efficiently that Rafa Benitez would have to do something to change the balance of the game. The Spaniard elected to alter things as soon as he was able to, with Ayoze Perez replacing Chieck Tioté, who had been guilty of giving away that costly free-kick. This certainly helped Newcastle pose more of a threat, as Cissé and Townsend swapped chances, with John Ruddy called into serious action at last. Cissé nearly wrote himself onto the scoresheet for the wrong reasons shortly afterwards at a Norwich corner, but his defence was alert to the danger. They were also showing impressive discipline, with Daryl Janmaat focusing on good wing-play instead of his notoriously poor tackling.
Not content at the rate of improvement, Benitez rolled his dice again and swapped Anita for Mitrovic: many home fans were bemused that he had not played the full ninety. That sense of confusion turned to concern when he almost scored five minutes later, though Ruddy made the save look easy: ten minutes after the Serbian's introduction, the Norwich 'keeper wasn't so lucky, a looping header leaving him well beaten. Had the changes paid dividends?
That depends if you call 130 seconds of parity worth celebrating. Carrow Road was not stunned into silence for long, as the diligent Mbokani decided to show that he was much more than just a man of effort: his stylish curling effort not only restored Norwich's lead, it nearly took the roof off, with 25,000 clap banners being used to full effect by the home fans. So much for getting back into it.
Nevertheless, this was turning into an encounter where a one-goal lead did not look comfortable in the slightest: far from going into their shells, Newcastle resolved to tighten the screw, with Mitrovic continuing to receive good service from his midfielders, though he was guilty of at least one glaring miss after good work from Moussa Sissoko. Norwich had already brought off Matt Jarvis for Nathan Redmond, and perhaps thinking the job was done, retired the excellent Mbokani and his partner-in-trickery Steven Naismith for West Hoolahan and Cameron Jerome. Sadly, these changes seemed to disrupt their concentration, and barely a minute after Jerome had trotted on, Newcastle won a penalty following a handball from Gary O'Neill. Unsurprisingly, Mitrovic elected to take and, though Ruddy guessed right, he was beaten for a second time. Advantage Magpies, and then some.
Deflation took hold of the home crowd and their side seemed to lose the ability to retain possession, a combination of nerves and fatigue proving problematic. Mitrovic threatened to take both the match ball and the three points with another decent headed chance, and was then heavily involved in the crucial moment: he cleverly set up Cissé for what looked like the winner, but Ruddy somehow managed to cover an impressive amount of ground and claw the ball away for a corner. It was a good chance, but it hardly seemed costly, with injury time almost done.
Enter the marauding full-back, Martin Olsson. Following the corner, Norwich countered without fear and without indecision, moving the ball with purpose: Newcastle, having played so well for much of the second half, found themselves backpedaling, but few would have sensed danger when the ball broke to Olsson on the right-hand side of the penalty area. His finish was unerring, and belied the fact that this was his first goal of the season. Like his comrade Klose, he could not have picked a better time to get off the mark. Unexpected hugs all round for this reporter!
Post-Match Analysis
Would a draw have been a fairer result? Undeniably, with Newcastle bossing the possession and having a similar number of chances. The effort that Norwich put into this performance, however, speaks volumes about Alex Neil's ability to get the maximum effort out of a team that, less than a month ago, was low on confidence and had lost eight out of nine matches. They're far from safe, but they will hardly lack for confidence now.
What of the Magpies' chances of avoiding the drop? If they can replicate the menace that they possessed in the last half hour, then they will surprise a few sides, and they will fight for every point on offer. Such passion, whilst laudable, will be of little use if they continue to switch off at crucial moments: to concede one goal in injury time is unlucky, but to concede two is a fool's game: the Premier League is many things, but merciful is not one of them.
Attendance:27,137
Man of the Match:Timm Klose. Whilst Mbokani's work-rate was quite something, but Klose was impressive at both ends of the pitch, his cool persona in such a crucial game helped settle his team-mates. The man signed from Wolfsburg is looking like a shrewd acquisition.
Strangest Moment:After just 30 seconds, Mike Dean confiscated a beach ball from the Norwich fans, rather than allow it to return to the stands. Spoilsport.
Must Do Better:Chieck Tioté's only contribution was to give away a silly free-kick: he was deservedly benched and will do well to start next week. For the home side, Matt Jarvis was guilty of wasting several crosses in quick succession.
What's Next:Norwich have the chance to draw level on points with 16th-placed Crystal Palace when they travel to Selhurst Park. Newcastle will travel to high-flying Southampton in the hope that last season's 4-0 reverse was a one-off: a win would be enough to take them above local rivals Sunderland.
Courageous Canaries Nullify Newcastle
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Saturday, 2 April 2016
