I’ve mentioned plenty of times that the key element of my post-match ritual is a phone call with my dad to dissect what did or didn’t happen at Carrow Road or beyond. He no longer attends games due to his health but the Norwich City fire in his soul still burns and his two penneth is always worth listening to.
He’s a notoriously hard man to please as many a City player has discovered over the years and he’s not big on hyperbole, so when he describes a performance as “magnificent” I tend to listen.
Even through his partial vision, he can recognise a really good performance when he sees one and last night he considered it just that.
“I sat here, all on my own, shouting at the tele and bursting with pride, Boy … we’re not out of this yet”
The kick-back of course was that, despite that really good performance, we still lost and we still failed to score but this was no Tottenham repeat where we created some good chances but failed to take them. On this occasion, we came up against a keeper in inspired form.
For Sky Sports to have awarded David de Gea the man of the match trophy speaks volumes, although I guess it was one way of giving an award to our visitors on a night when, if you were a neutral, you’d have been hard pushed to recognise that United even had opponents.
It was, of course, the Cristiano Ronaldo show – just how they wanted it.
It mattered not that the chosen one was on the periphery of the game all night and had what is colloquially known in these parts as a “stinker”. The penalty was enough to make him the story. Just how Sky wanted it.
I suppose for those who have not seen him in the flesh before there is a certain thrill to seeing an undoubted superstar of the modern game grace the Carrow Road turf, but for an old curmudgeon like me, it was nauseating – starting with the undignified pitchside charge of the thousands, all armed with their smartphones, as Ronaldo came out to warm up.
Eugh.
The visit of United, for so many obvious reasons, is invariably the most irritating of the season whenever we’re in the top flight, but the presence of dear Cristiano and the bandwagon that accompanies him made it doubly infuriating last night.
But what I didn’t expect was referee Darren England to be equally star-struck. Back in the good old days, referees were called impartial and resisted forelock-tugging when in the presence of perceived greatness. Not so Mr England.
All that was missing was him whipping his smartphone out of his back pocket during a lull in play and asking Ronaldo if they could share a selfie.
Luckily for said whistleblower, it wasn’t a particularly taxing evening as, aside from his two assistants and fourth official, he also had the help of Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes and, of course, his man-crush – each and every one of them more than willing to help him out with any 50/50 decisions that came along.
I partly jest (obviously) and I’m pretty sure there’ll be someone telling me that once the dust had settled and the big decisions were analysed, he got most of them right but his general demeanour and unwillingness to flash yellow in the direction of red regardless of the level of misdemeanour really irked during the 95 minutes.
And while I accept that by the letter of the law, Max did have a small piece of Ronaldo as that cross came in, I’m not convinced he’d have pointed to the spot with quite the same haste had it have occurred at the other end.
While there wasn’t enough there for it to be overturned by VAR in terms of England making a clear and obvious error, would there have been enough to overturn it if it hadn’t been given?
You know what I’m saying.
And one final thing on the officialdom… why was there so little fuss and not even a hint of a VAR check when Billy Gilmour’s shot struck the arm of Diogo Dalot?
Again… if it had been, say, the Chosen One shooting and the arm belonging to, say, Jacob Sorensen…
I think we know, especially when considered in conjunction with the other penalty decisions awarded in favour of the big six yesterday.
But none of this must detract from what was a really good effort from a squad that has been stretched to the absolute limit. From four fit and healthy centre-backs down to one in the space of 24 hours is quite something even by Norwich City standards but what it did do was offer an opportunity to a lad who can count himself very unlucky to have had so little game time.
There’s no other way of describing Lungi Sorensen’s performance. It was indeed magnificent, as well as being calm, composed and classy. And Ozan Kabak too…. absolutely outstanding against a forward line so decorated and expensive it should rip your average defence to pieces.
But they didn’t. They stood firm. So too Tim Krul.
That it all went wrong because of one faint tug of a shirt was crushing for all of them, but for them to have gone toe-to-toe with such esteemed (but classless) opposition should give the collective confidence a major boost.
Mentions too to Przemysław Płacheta and Lukas Rupp, both of whom came in from the cold to play their part in what was a sterling effort for all 14 players involved.
I’m tempted to say a performance like that against Villa on Tuesday night would be good enough to win the game but we all know that football doesn’t work like that. We start from scratch but at least we know we can now compete and even if we don’t make it, a season that looked like petering out before the leaves had fallen from the trees is still alive and kicking.
For all of their preening, posing and posturing, United got away with one last night. Just don’t expect them to admit it.
Gary if you see our free kicks against theirs we had quite a lot .
I’m so pleased Sorensen finally got a game and as usual was cool calm and collected ,I would love to see him play in front of the back four and shine .
It also seems Smith really is getting the best out of this squad which is great really is .
We certainly looked like we belong at this level Gary. However, it’s still a loss and we are running out of games. Where are the goals going to come from? Our midfield is full of effort, but no end product. Gilmour is neat and tidy, but we need more than that at the moment. Pukki is misfiring with no other credible striking options. I know money is tight, but he will need some help in January, or we will be down by Easter.
Hi
Usually I don’t rise to the bait….but
Firstly, I agree totally that this was a good performance by Norwich….but still there was the number of missed chances that restricts the effectiveness of Norwich’s recent better form. No one else’s fault. United also missed their’s by the way.
Also Norwich got a lot of free kicks…some of which I believe where questionable, especially when slow motion showed no real contact for a couple.
The penalty was a silly one to give away as Ronaldo would not have got to the cross…but he was actually grabbed and pulled to the ground.
The incident you talk about with Dalot, my view is the referee was right there, the ball was kicked directly against his arm, which was held straight down and tight against his body. No movement from him to get in the way, nothing for VAR to look at.
Having said that, Norwich played very good football yesterday, deserved a draw and I wish your team better fortune than you have had the last few games, where you also have deserved a little more from them.
Agree with every word Gary.All those so called city supporters
taking photos of grime ball after he scored annoyed me.The bigger the player the bigger the cheat!I did laugh when he fell on his a##e though!
If Aarons’ slight contact with the second best (?) player in the world (Messi is, and always has been, better than him) was worth a penalty, why was Maguire not given the same punishment for hanging on to Plachetta’s arm at the other end? I know he didn’t go down, and even managed to get a shot of some sort away, but he was off balance, and couldn’t hit it as well as he would have liked. That’s the difference between being honest, and being Ronaldo. Of course, the linesman was never going to give anything down there, standing in front of the Manure fans.
I’m afraid Gary that once again we were reminded that there is the standard rule book and the top four rule book.
If The Poser’s was a penalty what was the assault on Placheta by Maguire? It wasn’t Maguire’s only misdemeanour in the box but hey! ho! United play to the top four rule book.
The top four rule book also allows McTominay to kick lumps out of everyone when United were overrun in midfield.
All injustices apart I was pleased to see Sorensen prove what a quality player he is and plenty capable of playing the holding midfield role if necessary. I’ve been surprised that he hasn’t been called upon until now. He always has time which is a sure sign of class.
At the end of the day we’ve once again failed to capitalise on an excellent performance by not having anybody other than Pukki capable of putting the ball in the net on a regular basis.
Good strikers are expensive and probably demonstrate the inadequacies of the self funding model and the desperate need for substantial investment if we are ever going to become an established premiership side.
Couldn’t agree more about McTominay. I thought his foul on Giannoulis right in front of the dugouts was a borderline red, but didn’t even warrant a yellow from Man Utd’s twelfth player.
Maguire got away with murder, as you say. Fernandes spent more time trying to influence the (with some degree of success) than he did influencing play. I was a bit concerned when Mason Greenwood came on, but he was totally anonymous.
Sorensen was excellent. The Guardian’s report on the match said that he watched Ronaldo do several stepovers, then stepped in and stole the ball away – absolutely superb.
Just wondering would Norwich have got penalty in similar situation where Manchester United got, if Pukki would have done same thing? Almost 100% sure answer is no, because there also clear handball and shot was directed to goal. Nothing, not even var checking. Its not coincidence that all Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United needed penalties to get win, so of course they got them. Its something you dont want to see, its boring and wrong but what can you do?
Game was exactly how Rangnick described. Norwich was not able to create real scoring chances. Pukkis fantastic shot and Kabaks perfect header were gamesavers by De Gea. You cant ask anything done better, but in football goalkeeper also wins games. Manchester United had little bit better scoring chances, 1 crossbar shot and Ronaldo had games best scoring chance which he spoiled because Norwich had to take more risks after penalty call. Rangnick was obviously unhappy especially of period where Norwich got several corner kicks and put a lot pressure. He seemed to had a lot to speak to Teemu after the game.
Overall I would say that Norwich deserved a draw, very likely game would have ended 0-0 without penalty. Yes, Ronaldo used his chance very cleverly and Aarons got new football lesson but still it felt as soft penalty. That was probably best Norwich performance I have seen, there was good balance and that hard working style brings chaos which makes opponents playing difficult. Special mentions to Kabak, Placheta, Sorensen who had not much seen playing time. Placheta and Sargent made playing way more direct and when you dont have anyone who has skills to help Teemu in your squad then its best to bring physicality and stamina to make chaos to open opponents defence. Placheta and Sargent might never be able to score in premier league, but same can be said about other options and there is clear difference in physicality. Your system worked.
1 thing, that Idah chance in last game was 100% pass and not shoot or anything between them and actually brilliant pass by Teemu. Actually it was mad pass in that situation, fantastic decision making.
Good points, Gary.
It was interesting to see Mr England didn’t give the same level of leniency when Maguire had his hands on our players shirts for every single set piece.
I don’t mind them giving dubious penalties but it should be consistent. Leeds and Wolves fans should feel very aggrieved after the officiating yesterday.
However, we had plenty of chances to be 4/5-1 up by the end. I don’t believe that one striker will solve this issue either. We are more than capable of getting the goals throughout the rest of the team.
We’re competing and playing well. That’s all I can ask for.
I agree Gary had it have been Manchester United whose shot that hit a defender “Dalot style” it would have been another penalty for Mr England’s side. I was sure his wiki page would say he was from Salford, but it was to be Doncaster.#
On the subject of referee’s I thought the deputy referee a Mr S. McTominay did a fine job.
All this sounds funny because its not. Initially I thought it was another Ronaldo dive for the penalty but on closer inspection Max panicked and all Ronaldo needed was to feel that touch and down he would go. He wouldn’t have got anyway near it had he been a giraffe and Max doesn’t need me to tell him it was a bad mistake.
Had we not been given it I would have been furious so fair enough.
But how the hell didn’t McTominay get booked for a succession of fouls ? And though the Dalot “handball” a penalty would have been harsh I have seen them given.
To me that was the best performance of the season. And deserved so much more.
But wasn’t it heartening to see the team go toe to toe with one of the big boys and not abject surrender ala` Chelsea.
I love your quote Gary that we go from 4 to 1 fit centre backs in 24 hours it really is ACN.
But how good was Sorenson ? My mate Trev has long called for his inclusion in the side as have I.
Could he be our answer to the holding midfielder problem therefore allowing Normann to play that little bit further forward ?
Hi Gary
An excellent game from the city player’s
I am not sure what Max was doing after all this time he must understand putting or touching an opposition player will make them hit the deck and the Ref to make a decision and whether he be star struck or not the chances are that will not be in your favor.
Now we have the old against the new with Villa suffering a similar fate as city losing to a disputed penalty at Anfield so both teams looking for a turn round in luck.
Can we see Sorensen playing along side Normann as the DM with one of 4 to make up the midfield on a more permanent basis in the near future it could prove to be the shield 🛡 that Skipp did last season.
Come Tuesday will we see Kabak and Gibson as our linchpin in the CB role or will Andrew O or Sorensen get the call none has let the side down of late so it will be a hard decision for S&S come the time.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay Safe and Keep Healthy
Gary, unfortunately we now live in the Celebrity Age. We have a celebrity PM, the tv is full of celebrity shows, their inane opinions are sort after on every subject, the only payback we get is watching them being ridiculed on Get Me Out Of Here. The great one did a few step overs, got rid of our captain and secured and scored a penalty so earned his squillions. But their real star was their keeper, we did at last create chances that were on target but he denied us. We were never going to win but the lads did us proud and Deano is earning his corn, a step in the right direction, never mind the step overs.
Yes pleased with performance Shame about result i would like to see us continue with those two center halfs deserve to play Next games after that performance thought they were excellent swop mclean for Norman Will be well happy release The lungi about time and well deserved 😊
The visit of Manchester’s second team always raises the temperature.
I don’t think “depleted” begins to describe our starting eleven Gary, I prefer threadbare. Following dean smiths press conference I had a feeling we were bracing ourselves for the teamsheet. I grimaced when I saw it and I wasn’t alone.
The early loss of the captain put a further dent in resources.
At that point, I had already been pleasantly surprised by Kabaks sturdy interventions, The industry of Rupp, the positivity and drive of Placheta. Amongst others.
Sorensen entered the fray and looked as good in the flesh against premier opposition as he did last season in the championship on the tv. I wonder how good he is in his preferred position? It’s a mystery to me that he only gets game time in a crisis.
Much has been made of the latest clown with a whistle. The suggestion above that he let City get away with a host of fouls is frankly, laughable. That hacker Mactominay fouled with impunity and a few of his challenges appear to have a clear malicious intent.
As for the penalty, it only gets given one way. Silly boy max for getting drawn in but it was bought and England ouodnt wait to give it.
The preening ponce tucked it away and celebrated with his usual aplomb. As for the goons holding phones up to capture the celebration the club could simply do without them. If indeed they do support City. I swear one idiot is grinning as he films his entertainment for later in the evening.
It speaks volumes that smith was able to fashion a competitive side in such adversity. Combining organisation, commitment and some threat. On most occasions this season farke put what was on paper a stronger eleven on the pitch and succeeded only in producing pure rubbish.
It’s a big if, but if alongside the organisation, better individual performances and higher chance creation we could add just a modicum of goal power smith could perform a minor miracle. As ever it boils down to the ambition and aims of the ownership. In a fortnight we shall find out.
I only saw the extended highlights courtesy of Canary TV and the highlights on MOTD, plus I followed the game on the Beeb’s text service, I thought we were splendid, a great team effort!
My only query re the penalty is, why didn’t the ref blow his whistle for Ronaldo’s extended barge on Maxi, which actually earned the penalty, as it looked like blatant, aggressive obstruction to me!
We did everything short of scoring, cannot possibly fault NCFC for their efforts, Kabak and Sorensen were top drawer. It is not possible to criticise the team here.
Here’s one suggestion – assuming our centre-backs are fit enough to play against Aston Villa, how about starting with Sorensen alongside Pukki – both very cultured players and they might have enough keys for Aston Villa’s locks.
We’re staying up.
COYYs !!