It has been and will be a constant struggle for Norwich City to keep their head above the water, but first they need to reach the surface.
Their miserable record in the Premier League has them sitting at the bottom with the oxygen running out as the season nears its final quarter.
Luckily enough for the newly promoted team, the other relegation candidates are struggling as well – and there is the lifeline the Canaries need to grab and hold.
After going four games without a win and only winning one game in 14, Norwich were back to the wall facing 3rd placed Leicester at home on Friday night. While every game is a do-or-die situation from now on, especially at Carrow Road Norwich needs to perform at their best. And that they did against the tough Leicester team.
The visitors had somewhat struggled lately and they were not in the optimal form visiting Norwich. League leading scorer Jamie Vardy was left out of the squad with minor injury and Leicester had only won one of their last five. That’s not to say Leicester wasn’t a heavy favorite visiting Norwich. The home team took the game under control in the beginning and seemed poised to at least put up a fight for survival. Their determination kept Leicester very much at bay and the home team managed to create most of the chances, especially the further the game went.
The game looked all deadlocked until the 70th minute, when Norwich’s salvation came from an unlikely source. Everyone was expecting Teemu Pukki or at teast Todd Cantwell, Emiliano Boundia or Ondrej Duda to take step up offensively, but it was the unsung hero, left back Jamal Lewis who sent the Norwich fans into raptures.
His fantastic left-footed strike from the far left corner of the box took Kasper Schmeichel by surprise and swerved into the back of the net. It was Lewis’ first goal in senior level after three seasons with Norwich – and what an occasion to score!
Leicester never recovered from the goal and Norwich marched on to victory, a much needed one. While the club is still at the bottom, the separation to safety is now five points, although the rival teams have their games in hand. But without this win, Daniel Farke and his Canaries could’ve waved goodbye already.
