Stick or Twist? Always a dilemma and one faced by Dean Smith in advance of the trip to Molineux. He promised a strong lineup saying that he valued the cup, so it was something of a surprise to see four changes from the game against Watford – five by the time kick-off came around.
A change back to 4-3-3 was designed to nullify the Wolves five-man midfield and Billy Gilmour was dropped straight back in to replace the luckless Jacob Sorensen. Michael McGovern was a surprise in goal and the sight of Przemysław Placheta walking out surprised most – Josh Sargent dropping out after the initial team was announced.
The game began with all the pace of a grandmaster chess match – and continued in that manner for most of the first half. What was very noticeable was the increased confidence amongst the City players – the passing out of defence was more precise and effective than possibly any time this season.
Wolves posed the occasional threat with sweeping balls out wide, using the overlapping full-backs to good effect, but the City defence stood strong.
Whilst not dominant in the possession statistics, it was the Canaries that were creating the most effective chances. Adam Idah had the best, springing the offside trap but he took one touch too many and his shot was saved by John Ruddy.
From the resultant poor corner, as Ruddy ran out looking to spring a quick break, Grant Hanley ran into the back of him, earning a yellow card for the privilege. Moments later City won the ball in midfield and fed Idah wide on the right – his cut-back was behind all the advancing City players.
McGovern was having a quiet game with the Wolves attacks barely stretching him. He was quickly off the line to clear when a looping long ball hung up and didn’t make it into the area.
Midway through the half, the game descended into a scrappy affair with a string of free kicks. Pierre Lees-Melou made a slightly clumsy tackle on Neves whose theatrics were way out of proportion to the contact, yet convinced referee Coote to flourish the yellow card. Barely a minute later, Dendoncker cleaned out Gilmour with considerably more ferocity but the only result was a free-kick.
City were making sure that they took their time with all set pieces and free kicks, much to the annoyance of the home crowd – the restlessness was palpable amongst the locals.
City came close again on 32, Lees-Melou played a neat through ball to put Milot Rashica through on goal, only to be denied by an inch-perfect tackle by Kilman. The home crowd were further annoyed 10 minutes later, Podence going down in close proximity to Hanley. Quite why his dive received no punishment from the referee is a mystery.
As the half drew to a close, Rashica was clumsily challenged wide on the left. He went down, much to the fury of the home support, and Gilmour stepped up to take the kick.
McLean made a great run towards the corner of the six-yard box and his looping back-header beat everyone into the top corner. There wasn’t time for the kick-off and City went in at halftime on top.
The second half started at a pace in direct contrast to the pedestrian first. Wolves flooded forward in a wave of attacks. Hanley and Gibson mopped up most of the threats in the centre. Brandon Williams, while tested frequently by Semeda, rarely succumbed. City held on resolutely and finally broke the possession with some calm, measured passing.
On 49 minutes, Ruddy was dispossessed by Idah in the area. The former City keeper bundled into the back of the young striker to win possession back and Wolves broke.
Gilmour’s rash challenge, fortunately, missed everything but McLean made sure with a pull-back to stop the break, taking a yellow ‘for the team’. The resultant free-kick was into a dangerous area but bounced away from Silva into McGovern’s arms.
Wolves continued to flood players forward yet attack after attack was blunted by a resolute City rearguard. It took until 60 minutes for City to ease the pressure again with another spell of controlled passing.
Bruno Lage went for broke on 63, matching up City with a 4-3-3 by bringing Jimenez on for Gomes. Minutes later the ball ricocheted between heads and bounced in Wolves’ favour, resulting in a 3 v 2. Hanley did superbly well to cover and disrupt the cross, which flew harmlessly into McGovern’s hand.
Dean Smith rang the changes too, Teemu Pukki and Mathias Normann replacing Idah and McLean, then moments later Kieran Dowell replaced Gilmour.
City continued to disrupt and delay the game and the dissatisfaction amongst the home fans was made loud and clear. The Canaries only took heart from this and continued to thwart every effort made by the home team.
At the other end, City continued to make chances, Dowell had a shot saved. From the corner, Hanley was beaten at the back post but referee Coote gave a goal kick.
Wolves’ most threatening move came on 90 minutes, a whipped cross by Chiquhinho met by Silva but his powerful header was well over. Wolves struck back again with a slick move, a clever backheel set them through to win another corner. Ruddy came up for it but when the Wolves shot came in, it was well wide.
McGovern became the latest player to be booked, this time for timewasting.
The ball was knocked forward and Placheta had a shot straight at Ruddy. Moments later, Pukki was through, he cut back and his shot was blocked. The rebound was shepherded out for a corner as the final whistle went.
This was the sort of City performance to give heart to all supporters. Gritty, determined, difficult to break down whilst at the same time providing a decent threat on the opposition goal. The defence was solid, even when stretched the covering players did well.
In midfield, Wolves afforded Gilmour the time and space that he thrives in. He was effective in possession, if rarely eye-catching. Idah tried hard but without the support of Pukki, he struggled to create the same threat of previous games.
City showed battling qualities not evident earlier in the season, while the quality of their possession also showed a marked improvement.
Three wins in a row now, with the serious business of the league to resume midweek, this performance and result will have done no harm to City’s survival prospects.
Thank you for the excellent report, I got much more from that than from MOTD (who even ascribed our recent resurgence to Billy Gilmour, despite the fact that he has been absent for the previous three games).
Your comments about referee Coote are no surprise. He was the VAR official in the Spurs v Chelsea game when Lo Celso stamped on Azpilacueta, and decided that it wasn’t worth a red, though he later admitted he was wrong. He was also on VAR duty when Pickford lunged into van Dyke in an Everton v Liverpool game, in a really reckless and dangerous challenge which damaged van Dyke’s ACL and put him out for the rest of the season. Coote told the referee, Michael Oliver, that it wasn’t a red card, because there was an offside in the buildup. Oliver said later he should have sent Pickford off. Where do they get these referees?
Thank you for the comments – I think it is a complement to be viewed as more informative than MOTD…..as ever the coverage was so poor and inaccurate, it might be difficult to be less informative!
We‘ve got a big squad and Deano is certainly making the most of it, the starting line up was a surprise and I though my prediction of a Wolves win would come to pass. Glad I was wrong again. I shall have to do this every game now it seems to encourage a win. Don‘t get me wrong, I‘m delighted with our new management team and our players are beginning to shine, I‘m just not use to winning at this level, and a win is better than playing pretty football and losing. Well done City.
A great confidence boost and fully deserved.
I’m so pleased for Dean Smith and I like having a ‘proper’ manager again, who does whatever it takes to win. That is what managers should do. Farke was a ‘theorist’ and this was a game we would have almost certainly lost under him.
If Smith can somehow keep us up – especially after having zero money to spend and an adverse board to ‘work’ with- he should have a statue made of him outside Carrow Road with the words ‘Here is the man that kept us in the league where we feared to tread.’
Norwich City in a cup run? Who would have thought it?
Norwich are a very poor and dirty team has seven bookings prove, your goal scorer should have been red carded long before he scored along with your goalie eventually booked for blatent cheating, his time wasting from the first whistle was embarrassing for a professional footballer.
We weren’t at our best but should have still been good enough to beat an over physical Norwich who came to batter us rather than play the game, I can hardly wait for the league match at the molineux in May….hopefully a win will help send you back towards you belong..the conference, it’s a pity KEVIN MUSCAT hadn’t played because those dirty b******s in your team would have been left whimpering like the cowards they are.
What is it your fans sing…come on the yellow yeh yellow.stands for cowardice and your players have streak of it straight down their backs.!
How this 72 year old would love five minutes with any of them let’s see how tough they are, mind you I’d fancy my chances with all of them!
Ooooh taste those sour Grapes! I think complaint about the over physical Norwich side has more than a whiff of the pot calling the kettle black, particularly as you reference Kevin Muscat whose brutal assault nearly ended Craig Bellamy’s career. Yes, there were some professional fouls that rightly received a yellow card but show me a premier league team that doesn’t do that? Wolves committed their fair share too, with a good dose to theatricals from Podence and Neves thrown in for good measure.
I’m not sorry you lost and very happy to receive comments like this – it shows that Norwich are no longer a soft touch, as of old, and teams will no longer be able to bully them off the pitch.
72 years old? Nah, 14 year old with too much sugar in your diet.
Oh, I love a good looser, especially one who is pretentious enough to give himself an honorific and a middle initial!
Invoking the spirit of Kevin Muscat smacks of desperation. He’s 48 years old now, and I doubt if he could even get close enough to a current professional footballer to attempt one of his leg breaking “tackles”. I always had a bit of a soft spot for Wolves, until that Bellamy foul. Since then, they’re a nothing side.
As for a delusional pensioner fancying his chances in a scrap with any of the players, how sad is that?
I admire your passion, John. We’ve all been there.
But even football is not worth getting *that* angry over.
Calling out the whole Norwich team for a fight is quite a bold one – I’ll give you that. We’ll send Hanley in first.
We won’t need to send In anymore after Hanley!
Get over yourself mister, you came up against a team you found it hard to compete with.
Wolves’ approach to the game was pedestrian, Norwich’s approach was awake, the difference was one goal – ours, neatly scored by Mayor McLean.
like to see the Canaries play like this, assertive, aggressive, positive! Onwards to Anfield.
Come On You Yellows!!
Hi Jamie.
FB was reporting on the city page an away supporter broke a seat which is never good that could be his last away game supporting city if arrested there is always one that spoils it for others.
Kettle and black as you say comes to mind and many teams in the glorified premiership like to give it but can’t take it Loserpool possibly the worst on all fronts.
A good win and slowly building momentum swallows and summer I think now we have CP mid-week the big question Gunny Jr or McGovern in goal, Gilmour or Sorensen when fit to me it has to be Sorensen as Gilmour is a luxury in this side.
It looks like DS&SS are building a team that can operate where ever we finish up next season and the more I see Byram named in the team he looks odds on as Aaron’s replacement
Good read
Thank you Mr John A Davies, Your comments make the result all the more enjoyable.
Where were you yesterday, in the underpass waiting for Norwich fans, or waiting outside the exit to abuse anyone wearing yellow and green after the game – Neanderthal!
Mr Davies like your team sore loses punching above there weight boring everyone to 😢
I went to the match with three people in their twenties, and after the match a Wolves supporter – I’m guessing in his early 60s – was very concerned about my young companions as they were wearing their colours. He advised them to take them off and/or to be very careful because Wolves had lost – a really nice guy, gracious in defeat and concerned about the attitude of a minority (I’m sure) of his fellow Wolves supporters. Wolverhampton, great place, great people, great club, the 72 year old above has let them down badly.