The omens didn’t look good. The portly sight of Simon Hooper leading the teams out onto the pitch and an opposition containing Conor ‘always scores against Norwich’ Hourihane did nothing to ease the pre-match nerves.
Daniel Farke restored Jacob Sorensen to left-back and brought Kenny Mclean back in for Mario Vrancic. I hesitate to say he was brought into the number 10 role, such was the flexibility of the Norwich formation that at times even saw Max Aarons popping up on the left-wing.
Norwich played with much more energy than recent weeks in an open first half. Todd Cantwell was at the heart of most of the Norwich moves, enjoying time and space for the first time in weeks. He played Teemu Pukki in for a difficult chance but the Finn pulled his shot weakly across the face of goal.
City were defending well though, only on a couple of occasions did Swansea threaten, the dangerous Jamal Lowe giving Grant Hanley the slip to get a shot away that Tim Krul saved well.
A looping long throw saw an excellent block at the far post by Aarons to put the ball out for a corner. As the corner came in, Krul rose confidently to catch it, only to fumble it at the last moment. The ball was played back into Ayew who somehow dug a shot out past five City defenders to open the scoring.
City went straight up the other end and from a Placheta free kick, Hanley rose above Ryan Bennet only to see his goal-bound header well saved.
After some of the calamitous defending at the end of last season, this season has been refreshingly error free and it was uncharacteristic to see Mclean give the ball away in a poor area. A quick pass and a rifled shot from that man Hourihane was nestling in the bottom corner from fully 25 yards out.
Farke acted decisively. Off went Skipp, Rupp and Placheta and on came Hernandez, Idah and Vrancic. Placheta was once again ineffective and unable to show his pace, Skipp and Rupp did little wrong though.
Idah immediately began to exhibit his more muscular presence up front, holding the ball up well initially and making a nuisance of himself.
Hooper clearly left his cards in the dressing room in the first half and wanted to make up for it. A rash of cards and free kicks disrupted the flow of the second half, and City rarely got any momentum going. When they did fashion chances, they were rarely more than half-chances and were snatched at.
Is the pressure beginning to weigh on the shoulders of the City players?
Kieran Dowell was the final change. Cantwell had had a good game, some great turns, driving runs and through balls, but to no avail. City switched to three at the back and despite a late flurry of half chances and crosses, never really carved out a clear-cut opportunity to get back in the game.
So another unbeaten league run comes to the end.
More ammunition to those who claim that without Emi there is no Norwich -and who can blame them?
Neither Placheta nor Hernandez have made compelling cases for inclusion in his absence. Pukki has been left feeding off scraps and for all his virtuous endeavours, Cantwell has been unable to serve up anything more tasty.
After every league defeat so far this season, City have bounced back – now is not the time to change that record.
The game was defined by the dreadful errors either side of half time. Swansea, despite what sky would have us believe are not world beaters.
Having eased into a two goal lead, they simply rode out the rest of the game safe in the knowledge that our finishing verges on the farcical..
Nearly every city player had a pot at goal. Never mind half chances, idah should have scored from Mcleans deep centre but channel led his inner Marley Watkins and cannoned the ball into touch off his chest.
Dowell was played in on the edge of the box and produced a trademark effort lacking any power or accuracy.
Placheta should be forgotten. Quickly.
Having been aggressive and verbose in his “passionate” defence of his side, the least we might have expected from farke was a performance to back up his words.
They didn’t have to be worldbeaters sadly
It was basically a case of two bad mistakes leading to the concession of two goals (although the second was certainly a great strike.) That City currently have no-one able to put the ball in the back of the net is a worry but no need to go into panic mood just yet.
No there were 3 mistakes if we don’t airbrush the clear penalty that wasn’t awarded for the foul on Morris. If we are to be fair if Hooper left his cards in the dressing room in the first half he left his glasses there for the second. No mention of it in the article.
Fair comment on the penalty I guess.
Even more bizarre is that he seemed to see the shirt tug on Pukki in the first half and didn’t give a penalty for that, nor did he book Hourihane for deliberately kicking the ball away!
I’d love to mention everything in my reports though…but then they would be so long it would take as long as the match to read them lol!
Hi mate if you look at mcleans first half performance you shoudnt been suprised at that pass there was least 4 like thar first half with no Norwich Player swithin 10yrds although,hes had two or there decent games this season was a weak link last year and if we get up wont improve us but we Will come through this Leeds and Sheffield were above a few times last time round