CANARIES LOOK DAN AND OUT
DANNY INGS inspired Southampton to a ruthless victory which left Norwich socially distanced from the rest of the Premier League.
And Daniel Farke’s rockbottom side will not catch anything or anyone playing like this in the rest of the season.
The German coach had stated his Canaries needed to win five out of their remaining nine matches to stage a “mini miracle” and stay in the top flight. But, in reality, this was a game the Canaries had to win.
And the improbable task of last year’s Championship winners surviving is now nearing the impossible after this crushing, and ultimately embarrassingly one-sided, 3-0 defeat.
While City’s talisman Teemu Pukki failed to score again, second-half goals from Ings, Stuart Armstrong and former Canary Nathan Redmond gave the visitors victory.
There was not even a frantic finish as City seemed resigned to their fate and Saints keeper Alex Mccarthy had only one weak shot to save all game.
Norwich have still won only five games in 30 and remain a six points from safety – seven if you look at their awful goal difference of minus 30. They could argue they would have benefited from the backing of their vocal home support, but the performance was so poor it would have reduced a packed Carrow Road to silence.
After three months away, Farke’s side are still simply not good enough for the Premier League. And when Pukki does not score, they offer little else.
By contrast, Southampton’s fab attacking four combined to celebrate Ralph Hasenhuttl’s new contract with three points to end any lingering fears of relegation. And this after suffering their 9-0 humiliation to Leicester back in October. Saints have now won seven successive league fixtures against promoted sides and have recorded seven Premier League away games this season, a total bettered only by Liverpool and Manchester City.
Both coaches showed attacking intent by fielding two
55%
45% strikers – a first for Farke, who put Josip Drmic up alongside Pukki. And both sides had new captains. Timm Klose took the armband from the injured Grant Hanley after returning to the heart of the home defence for his first game since August.
And with Pierre-emile Hojbjerg declining to extend his contract which runs out next year, James Ward-prowse led the Saints side.
Norwich had enjoyed the brighter start, with Ings back in defence to stop Tom Trybull converting an early free-kick from Emiliano Buendia.
But the England striker had the best chance of a poor first half when Jack Stephens charged forward and played in Ings, who hit the crossbar.
The Southampton talisman restored normal service after 49 minutes with a super finish after an Armstrong assist.
Ings repaid the favour five minutes later for the Scot to double the lead with a low strike. By contrast, Pukki hesitated when given a run on goal and the excellent Jan Bednarek blocked his shot.
Ward-prowse had a shot cleared off the line, before another flowing Saints counter-attack involving Ings saw Michael Obafemi feed Redmond to shoot home.