It was almost as if City were trying to distill a whole 12 months of football into a single 90 minutes at Carrow Road tonight.
Dominant in possession, an injury to a crucial player, marginal decisions going against them, and a frustrating concession out of nothing.
Daniel Farke made just the one change, preferring Mario Vrancic to Kieran Dowell in the slot behind Teemu Pukki.
QPR played with five across the back, and two up front, and in the first half, played with a spirit that belied their lowly league position. As seems to be the norm nowadays, they targeted the Norwich left with pacy attacks. Ultimately they were let down by the quality of their own passing.
City were in control of the midfield, Oli Skipp once again tenacious and full of energy. Chances came but City rarely looked like converting them, a number of weak and scuffed shots were directed goalwards.
On 30 minutes though, Pukki looked to have been bought down in the box but the referee waved the appeals away. Moments later, Emi Buendia was through and again bought down. Again, no penalty.
City came forward again, this time Pukki through on goal, but his cut back to Kenny Mclean was weakly sidefooted at the keeper.
As the half drew to a close, Michael McGovern played a routine ball to Max Aarons. The cameras didn’t spot it but the eagle-eyed king of Spain in the commentary did – an injury to McGovern. He tried to play on but was virtually immobile as a cross came into the box. Fortunately, moments later the referee blew for half time.
Enter Daniel Barden for his league debut.
From the kick-off, QPR swarmed forward, trying to put pressure upon him, but that was just about the only venture into the Norwich half that they were able to make for the next 20 minutes.
City dominated.
Every loose ball was won, every sniff QPR had to relieve the pressure was blown away by the energy of the players in yellow. Chances came. Grant Hanley headed over from a cross from Buendia, and Buendia himself had a shot saved.
A goal was coming.
Finally, Pukki got away following a superb through ball. He squared the ball to Todd Cantwell who tapped in.
Goal!
No!
Cantwell was apparently offside in the original move. Farke and the Norwich bench were incandescent and the referee had to warn them to calm down.
Then Pukki was through again, this time the QPR keeper tipped his shot round the post. City’s players were still fuming at this point.
Then possession was conceded in the centre, QPR were through on goal before a superb saving tackle by Hanley.
Moments later, Cantwell made a run into the box. A lazy tackle and clear foul finally gave City a penalty. Once again, Pukki slotted it home.
City tried to take the sting out of the game and were preparing Alex Tettey to come on when Jacob Sorensen won a superb tackle in the left-back position. He poked the ball infield but Vrancic was slow to react.
The ball was played into the City box, Christoph Zimmermann laid a hand on the shoulder of the attacker who went down……penalty.
Barden went the right way but couldn’t stop Osayi-Samuel’s spot kick.
Jordan Hugill and Dowell came on for the remaining minutes, but City never really regained the momentum that they had and in the end had to settle for the draw.
So 2020 finishes with City still top of the table.
A frustrating night ends a frustrating year. City couldn’t find the right tools to pick the lock of the QPR defence and were punished, as they were so often in the Premier League, for a momentary lapse.
But they are still top of the table and long may it continue. Farke has performed miracles so far. Let’s hope for a few more.
A game that will quickly be forgotten. I don’t care how much any one wants to give QPR credit for their performance as far as I am concerned they were rank poor and should have been swept aside at least 3 or 4 nil. The fact that they were not was much more down to such a wasteful display of powder puff shooting by the meandering lack lustre canaries, again it looked like a training game without any intensity. They have to find a ruthless streak from somewhere berfore they get caught out again, they can’t keep relying on narrow wins to see them through. The best QPR can hope for is to finish fourth from bottom, I can see why they havn’t won for 8 games and why they had only scored 4 times before arriving at the Carra, epitomised by that shock last ditch miss from 2 yards which could have given them a thoroughly undeserved 3 points. Norwich have to find some variation ( regardless of lack of wingers currently ) to the game even if it goes against their possesion based philosophy. It’s all becoming a bit too samey and predictable. Barnsley will provide much more sterner opposition and if we are not careful we will slip up against them aswell. As for the penalties, I have little sympathy for either team, you know whilst players dive to the ground at the slightest contact referees will continue to get conned, hence the two penalties and why Pukki didn’t get one. I have plenty of sympathy for referees and players need to stop being drama queens ! Whilst I hate VAR their take on the evenings events could have been interesting, we could have had anything from none to a half a dozen awarded. On to the next game OTBC
I agree that we need to find something different – but Farke can only pick the players that are available. When Hernandez and Placheta are back, we will have genuine options once again……providing they can produce the ‘right’ delivery into the box,
I have seen full highlights and based on that draw was likely fair result. It could have been QPR won too, but overall draw was fair.
Once again referee made couple of mistakes, that Pukki-Catwell goal was not offside. That is linesman fault. Then Norwich penalty was never penalty, Cantwell dived very well and referee bought it. Before that Pukki had dived 2 times and tried to get penalties, that made more pressure to give penalty. QPR penalty was huge stupidity by Zimmermann, there was no reason to that. QPR had also 95% scoring chance after that, but somehow their player made Raheem Sterling miss. It was fantastic pass and surely he should have scored. Cantwell and Pukki were basically Norwich attacking threats, about half of 7 minutes highlights were about them. QPR had first half best scoring chance, but Dykes was awful and lost his 1 against 1 situation completely. QPR also had open header in second half, but it was headed to Norwich goalkeeper hands.
Pukkis interview I dont get it. He said they missed several chances, not true. This is football not basketball, no one scores in every shot they try. Norwich surely is leader because its most clinical team in championship. When you look highlights of games in championship, there is very brutally missed great scoring chances all the time. Pukki has habit to always complain that he or team could have scored way more goals in interviews. Problem is that some people actually start to believe that, also been too hard for yourself it does not make you play better. Buendia seems similar, its good of course that they hate loosing or not winning situations. Nice and surely rightful compliments to Grant Hanley by Pukki saying that Hanley is one of best defenders he has played against. Hanley was Norwich best defender in premier league too, he just is not fancy fanboys dream player and because of that his value will always be underestimated by fans.
I think the most amusing thing was Warburton saying city were trying to influence the officials to give them decisions for the full game well if they did it didn’t work.
All teams have a sticky patch so let’s hope 🙏 that this is cities and come Saturday it will pass and we start to get back to winning ways.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay Safe and Stay Healthy
The creation of chances is fine, it is he sticking the ball in the net is the problem in these last two matches. last time in this league at this point we had scored 47, today we stand on 30 but that is 3 games less played this season. Goals conceded also reflect less gone in so far
It seems to me that the players want to walk the ball in the last few game, instead of having a pop more, we have some excellent finishers. At time they just do not appear decisive enough in the box. It is difficult when opposition are happy for you to play in front of them, but once very near or inside their box, they stifle and deny space. That is a known fact how many teams will play against us, Farke and his players must work on some other way.
I am not moaning at the 5 points lost over two games we still stay top of the tree, but it needs working on or those two games with points dropped could be more. It is not i=as if this problem is new is it ?
As for Zimmerman getting so much stick, this guy was a ruddy hero not so long ago, get off his back players make mistakes, in all games. Mario made a howler too. I would say Zimmo has saved many more than he has given away. Yes Gibson/Hanley is the best pairing but we need players like Zimmo to step in, many moaned at McGovern but he has done us proud.
Looking at it again, it was a very cute move by Samuel. He got his arm across Zimmermann, where the referee couldn’t see it. Zimmermann had few options for his left arm – as soon as he touched Samuel, he was going to go down.