It looked like it could be another difficult afternoon when Gabriel Sara poked in a well-worked Norwich corner routine, but in a performance full of threat and controlled possession, City quickly equalised through Dewsbury-Hall’s header. Then their heavy pressure paid off in the second half, as Mavididi slid in the second before Vardy slammed in the points-sealing third late on.
Dominating possession and looking a threat in attack, particularly down their left flank, City nearly got in behind when Doyle curled a delightful pass around the Norwich defence for Daka. The Zambian was closed down by Canaries keeper Angus Gunn, who blocked the cross that would have left Stephy Mavididi with a tap-in.
But as can be the case when a team is out of form, City went behind against the run of play. Norwich completely caught them out with a well-worked corner routine, feigning to send a delivery to the edge of the box but then drilling one low to the front post where Gabriel Sara poked in.
Neither the City players nor the fans were deterred, and both responded strongly. City kept attacking and soon they had their equaliser. Wilfred Ndidi crossed to the far post, Mavididi nodded it back across and Dewsbury-Hall was in the right place to head in.
And City did not let up there. They pushed to take the lead before the break, but Harry Winks’ low effort was saved before Abdul Fatawu got underneath the ball to blaze over from close range.
The City pressure only grew in the second half. Ndidi had a toepoke blocked by Gunn and then Daka pounced on a Sam McCallum mistake to nearly flick in before City finally took the lead on the hour.
It was the same three players involved as for the first goal, with Ndidi crossing, with Dewsbury-Hall this time receiving, the midfielder re-adjusting his feet to set up Mavididi. The winger then cutely dinking the ball over Jack Stacey’s challenge before coolly finishing into the far corner.
Importantly, City didn’t let up. They didn’t sit back and allow Norwich to push for an equaliser. They instead kept going themselves and got third in injury time. Harry Winks bundled through the challenges before his shot was blocked, with substitute Vardy on hand to slam in the rebound.
Mads Hermansen: City’s dominance meant it was a quiet afternoon for Hermansen. There was no clean sheet after he was beaten by the corner, but there were no saves to make beyond that. On the ball, he was composed, bar for one wayward pass out, and mopped up well too. 6
Ricardo Pereira: He did not do anything spectacular, but he was a pleasingly calm presence back in the team. He made time for himself on the ball and moved it forward well, while he made strong challenges at the back too, including one excellent sliding tackle to stop a counter-attack. 7
Wout Faes: So much better than on Friday. He was aggressive in the press to brilliant effect, routinely pinching the ball off Norwich attackers, while he advanced into good areas and defended his own box strongly too. 8
Jannik Vestergaard: There were a few nice clipped passes out to both wings, and he was cool under heavy pressure too. But he was booked for a late challenge and didn’t supply as many passes through the lines as he usually does. 6
Callum Doyle: Supported Mavididi down the left in attacks throughout the game, mixing his game up with crosses from deep or runs in behind himself. His forward passing with his sweet left foot was excellent at times, and makes City a different proposition. Defensively solid against Stacey. 8
Harry Winks: He dictated play throughout and counteracted Norwich’s high press with some nice passes through the lines. Kept things steady through the second half before bundling through to set up Vardy’s late goal. 7
Leave a Reply