Stuck at the bottom of the Premier League table, Norwich City took on the clear Premier League leaders Liverpool at Carrow Road on Saturday. While the teams’ last encounter left no one cold, this time around the entertainment left a lot to be desired for.
The home team was able to keep it tight for the most part of the game, but the longer it went, the more certain it looked that the reigning Champions League holders will take what they are due. It took all of 78 minutes before the break in the deadlock, but Norwich had to, once again, go home disappointed after a narrow 0-1 defeat.
Norwich definitely were asking for the pressure to start the game and Liverpool are not the ones to back down from an invitation. The home team had containment in their mind for the first half and they managed admirably, holding Liverpool to only one shot on goal for the first 45 minutes. The downside was that Norwich didn’t create much themselves, as they held the ball for only 38% of the time and had zero efforts in the attacking end to go with zero corners. Liverpool keeper Alisson could’ve watched at the rafters, as his team denied any counter-attacks for the first half.
With the statistics showing what they show, it was only a matter of time the probable EPL champions struck. Norwich did have their chances in the second half, but failed to utilize when it mattered. Liverpool got more chances as well and started to push forward even more – they smelled the blood after Norwich had exhausted themselves in the defensive battle for the most of the game. It was Liverpool’s usual starter Sadio Mane, who came off the bench to finish off Norwich’s brave fight on 78th minute. Mane’s 12th goal of the season took him above Norwich striker Teemu Pukki in the Premier League scoring race.
Not much was expected from Norwich against the superior Liverpool, but they were close enough of an upset at least in the form of a draw. But as usual, in the end the better team wins and this time it was well deserved. Norwich will try to climb out of the relegation zone on 23rd February at Wolverhampton. Don’t miss out on Dafabet’s Norwich City prediction challenge in order to win weekly free bets.
