3 things we clearly learnt about Norwich City after their 4-4 draw v Southampton
The Canaries lost the lead three times but managed to secure a respectable draw at St Mary’s.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Norwich City was unlucky, as several decisions went against them, including a handball penalty and a harsh penalty call in injury time.
- Josh Sargent had a standout performance, scoring a goal and providing an assist, showcasing his potential as a game-changer for Norwich this season.
- Norwich has a strong attacking lineup with players like Jack Stacey, Gabriel Sara, Jonathan Rowe, and Christian Fassnacht contributing to their goal-scoring ability.
Adam Armstrong’s late penalty secured a remarkable 4-4 draw for Southampton against a battling Norwich City side.
It was the visitors that took the lead, with Josh Sargent getting himself on the scoresheet in the seventh minute to put the Canaries in front.
But a mad six-minute spell turned the game from 1-0 to 2-2, with Jan Bednarek’s finish from close range and Armstrong’s unstoppable penalty allowing the Saints to take a 2-1 lead before a wonderful strike from Gabriel Sara allowed the away side to equalise.
Jonathan Rowe put David Wagner’s side in front again in stoppage time at the end of the first half – but Che Adams’ goal just before the hour mark gave the hosts the perfect opportunity to go on and win the game.
Instead, Christian Fassnacht looked to have won it for Norwich, but Armstrong managed to grab his second seven minutes into injury time to rescue a point at the end of what was a remarkable game.
Carlos Alcaraz even had a chance to make it 5-4 – but the hosts will have gladly taken a draw after going behind three times.
Focusing more on the away side, we take a look at three things we learnt about David Wagner’s side.
Norwich City are extremely unlucky
The Canaries can count themselves extremely unlucky for a few key reasons.
Firstly, it’s clear Shane Duffy didn’t mean to handle the ball for the first penalty but it did strike his hand and that’s why the referee was given no choice to point to the spot.
The new rules on stoppage time came back to bite them as well with Wagner’s side conceding in the seventh minute of injury time at the end of the game.
That last-gasp equaliser came via another penalty – and it was an extremely harsh one on Norwich considering there wasn’t much contact on Kyle Walker-Peters before he went down.
A couple of other decisions didn’t go the Canaries’ way either – and they can count themselves very unlucky.
Josh Sargent can be a game-changer for Norwich this season
Sargent looked very sharp today, scoring an excellent header and recording an assist for Sara’s wonderful goal.
He can count himself lucky to have registered that assist considering Sara did most of the work with his stunning effort – but he deserves it for performing so well on the south coast.
The statistics behind his performance reinforce just how good he was too, with the United States international completing 95% of his passes, creating two big chances and winning six of his ground duels.
Norwich have the right ingredients to be a threat in attack
Sargent was good – but the performances and contributions of others also need to be commended.
Ashley Barnes did exceptionally well to control the ball and get the ball out wide to Jack Stacey, who delivered an inch-perfect cross to Sargent.
Stacey’s crossing ability could be a real game-changer – and Sara justified his place in the starting lineup by scoring a spectacular goal.
Jonathan Rowe also managed to get in on the act with his header. And although Christian Fassnacht’s goal was made possible by a big defensive error, the fact he managed to get into a good position in the first place has to be commended.
With Adam Idah and Marcelino Nunez able to come off the bench too, they have some excellent attacking ingredients and that should allow them to enjoy a reasonably successful season.
