Norwich beat Burnley at home 2-0.
Teemu Pukki shot Norwich 2-0. AOP
Many already consider Norwich a sure fall team.
Manager Dean Smith and the players of the Canary Islands, however, definitely disagree. On Sunday, the team grabbed their first win since January as they stapled Bunrnley, who was crawling in the same relegation race, at their home field.
The 1-0 victory goal was scored in the first ten minutes of the French Pierre Lees-Melou got to ink the counterball. The shot got a little bounce from the Burnley defense and surprised the Clarets brewer Nick Popen.
Teemu Pukki worked hard as usual at the Norwich tip, handing out good passports especially the top pair Milot Rashica. The Finns themselves were in a good position after 86 minutes, making a fantastic save from Mathias Normann’s shot from the left flank.
Kotkalainen quickly turned around in the penalty area and certainly fired the ball into the back corner. The 2-0 goal was the ninth league hit of the season.
Inconsolable position
The result cut Norwich’s eight-match-long winning streak. Three points were not yet enough to improve the league’s position at the bottom of the league table, and the fear is that the spring letter started far too late.
Norwich’s gap to Everton above the fall line didn’t narrow at all. It is still seven points, although otherwise the atmosphere in the basement is condensed.
The goat club should snap at least three more wins at a time, while the other relegation candidates would be left with no points at all. Norwich will play for Manchester United at Old Trafford at Easter, followed by Newcastle (home), Aston Villa (away) and West Ham (home) every week.
Sunday’s result only guarantees that Burnley will also gain momentum from the Championship next season. Specially Maxwel Cornet’n the control past the open finish at just over an hour could cost the Burgundy a place in the series.