KEANE STEALS A VITAL LEVELLER
Matthews; Olkowski, Lowe, Wheater, Beevers, Noone (Buckley 88th); Murphy, Connolly, Vela (Williams J, 46th); Donaldson (Ameobi 46th), Magennis
THE Canaries flew to the top of the Championship with a powerful performance which emphasised how hard it will be to knock them off their perch.
Norwich were simply superb with fabulous Finn Teemu Pukki notching a double to take his goal tally to 23 for the season as the new league leaders took advantage of Leeds’ weekend off.
Marco Stiepermann and the exquisite Emiliano Buendia finished off the job to leave Bolton completely and utterly outclassed.
Boss Daniel Farke was frustrated by a missed penalty but couldn’t hide his table-topping delight and said: “Now I can give my players some time off. It’s well-deserved.
“I think 63 points is a really good statistic after 33 games and we take the compliments. Our performance was really, really good.
“But my feeling is that we could have added a few more goals. We should be more clinical and brutal.
“Pukki, though, his linking play is world class. I work every day with him and see his quality. His goals are in key moments.”
Bolton chief Phil Parkinson made no excuses and said: “Some of their football was out of the Premier League and not the Championship. You have to hold your hands up and credit the opposition.”
One look at the lunar surface at the University of Bolton Stadium suggested free-flowing and hide. They are playing under incredible tension but the fans are helping us because they are firmly onside.
“Go anywhere and you won’t find support like that when you’re sitting bottom of the table. It’s incredible.”
In the 15th minute a darting run down the left by Republic of Ireland international McClean resulted in him crossing for Joe Allen to lay the ball off for Tom Ince whose left-footed shot went over the top.
Five minutes later good build-up play between Judge and James Bree led to a shot at goal by Trevoh Chalobah from outside the penalty area which was safely gathered by Butland.
A great through ball from Ince just caught former Burnley striker Sam Vokes offside.
And five minutes later the two again combined for the best chance of the first half when Ince’s NORWICH: Krul; Aarons, Zimmermann, Godfrey, Lewis (Hanley 89th); Trybull, McLean, Buendia, Stiepermann (Leitner 78th); Pukki (Srbeny 88th), Hernandez football wouldn’t be the name of the game. But then you underestimate the skill, craft and clinical finishing of Norwich who mastered the threadbare pitch with consummate ease.
Farke’s flyers were absolutely brilliant to completely overrun a Bolton side seriously chasing a lost cause.
The men in yellow gave a warning of their deadly intent after just four minutes when Buendia’s shot was flipped away by former Canaries keeper Remi Matthews.
Then, in the eighth minute, Norwich stormed into the lead when Pukki controlled brilliantly, side-stepped and then hammered home.
It was 2-0 in the 25th minute when they launched into a stylish build-up which ended with Pukki telepathically pulling back for Stiepermann to rattle into the bottom corner.
The Trotters were stunned. This wasn’t the start their lowly position demanded and they tried to get back into the game when Pawel Olkowski had a go with a shot comfortably collected by keeper Tim Krul.
But in the 34th minute the visitors put the game out of Bolton’s flimsy reach. Kenny McLean’s ball in saw the defence looking for cross found Vokes unmarked in the six-yard box but the Welshman’s diving header went just over the bar.
Stoke were gifted the lead just before the break when the home defence got in a terrible tangle.
Bartosz Bialkowski came off his line to gather the ball but was instead stranded in no man’s land.
Jonas Knudsen’s back header, intended for the keeper, allowed McClean a tap-in for his first goal since August.
Stoke boss Nathan Jones said: “It’s disappointing to be denied the win because I didn’t think we had any problems all afternoon.
“We should have been two or three up at half-time after Sam and Tom had glorious chances.
“We didn’t play particularly well in the second Emiliano Buendia A Woolmer an offside which never came and brilliant Buendia poked in the third.
Norwich piled on the pressure and Onel Hernandez’s power shot was pushed away by relieved Matthews. Stiepermann had another pop, too, as the hosts fell apart.
Their dismal day was best summed up by Clayton Donaldson whose attempted shot was woefully off target to bring jeers from the frustrated home fans in his last act before being substituted.
It was the same old story in the second half with Hernandez denied by the overworked Matthews who then blocked an effort from Pukki.
But the big striker wasn’t to be denied in the 56th minute when Matthews was stranded in no man’s land and the Finn lobbed into an empty net.
Quite simply, brilliant to watch.
And it should have got even better in the 63rd minute when Mark Beevers brought down Pukki in the area only for McLean to see his spot-kick saved by Matthews.
It was a real let-off but still not enough to cheer the fed-up Bolton fans who headed for the exit gates with 20 minutes left.
The Norwich faithful weren’t budging and why should they?
In truth, a fabulous fifth was on the cards when Buendia threaded through for Pukki but this time the Norwich superstar just failed to finish. this was breathtakingly half but we defended well enough and limited them to very little. I put Ryan Shawcross on in the 89th minute so that we had enough to cope if they put the ball into our box.
“We looked solid and we defended well – these are the positives – but we have to be a little bit better in both boxes.”
Vokes fired over the bar after a surging Tom Edwards’ run from deep in his own half.
Ipswich might even have earned a rare win had full-back Myles Kenlock and sub Kayden Jackson not fluffed decent chances.
(KO 3pm unless stated)
PREMIER LEAGUE
LWWWLW .......................... Arsenal Southampton ....................... LWdDWD
(Playing Sunday, 2:05pm)
LWDLWW ......... AFC Bournemouth Wolverhampton .................. WDWLDW LDWLLL ........................... Leicester Crystal Palace ...................... LLWWLD
(5:30pm)
WWWWDL .................. Man United Liverpool ............................. WWLLWD
(Playing Sunday, 2:05pm) dLDWLW ....................... Newcastle Huddersfield ............................. LLLLdL
Cardiff v Watford (Friday 7:45pm), West Ham v Fulham (Friday 7:45pm), Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur (12:30pm)
SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
LWdLWL ..................... Birmingham Blackbur n .............................. DLLDWL WDWWWW ..................... Brentford Hull ....................................... WWLDLL WWWLWL ............................ Leeds Bolton ..................................... LLLLLW LWWDDD ............... Middlesbrough QPR ...................................... WDLDLL WWLWdd ............................ Millwall Preston North End ............. WLLWWW DLLWDW ........................... Norwich Bristol City ....................... WWDWWW DLLLWd ............................ Reading Rotherham .............................. LLLLdD DWDdWd ....................... Sheff Wed Swansea ............................. WLWWDL WLLWLL ................................ Stoke Aston Villa ............................ WDWDLd DWDLDD ...................... West Brom Sheff United ........................ WDWLDD
(5:30pm)
WLLLWW .............................. Wigan Ipswich ..................................... LLLLLL
Nottm Forest v Derby (Monday 7:45pm) SKY BET LEAGUE ONE
WLWLdL ........... Accrington Stanley Southend .............................. LWLWDL WdLLWL ............... AFC Wimbledon Charlton ................................ WLLWdL LLLdDW .......................... Blackpool Oxford United ......................... LLDDLd WdLWDD ................. Bristol Rovers Sunderland .......................... DLWDDD WdLWWW ............................. Luton Coventry ............................... LLWLLW
(Playing Sunday, 12pm)
DDLWdL ................... Peterborough Shrewsbury ........................... DWdLLD DLWWWD ....................... Plymouth Rochdale ............................... DWLLLW WWLWDD ................... Portsmouth Bar nsley .............................. WdLWDW LLWWDW .................... Scunthorpe Doncaster ........................... WLWWLD
(1:00pm)
WLDLLL ............................. Walsall Bradford ................................ DLWLDd WLLWWd ........................ Wycombe Gillingham ............................ WLLWLD
Burton Albion v Fleetwood Town
SKY BET LEAGUE TWO
WWWWDD ............................. Bury Oldham ................................ WWLLLW WDDLWW .................. Cheltenham Port Vale ................................ dDWLdL WLdDLW ....................... Colchester Carlisle ................................. LWWLWL LLWWLL ................... Crawley Town Macclesfield .......................... LWLWLL LWWWWW .......................... Crewe Exeter ................................... DLWWLD WdLWWW ...................... Mansfield Forest Green ....................... WWDdWL WLWLWL ........ Milton Keynes Dons Newport County ...................... LLLLDL DWLDLL ...................... Morecambe Lincoln City ......................... WLDWDD LLWWLW ....................... Stevenage Nor thampton ........................ WDLLWD WdLDLW .......................... Swindon Grimsby ............................... WWLLLW WdLLLW .......................... Tranmere Notts County .......................... LLLDLW DLLWLL ................................ Yeovil Cambridge United .................. LLLLWL
LADBROKES SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP WWWWWW .......................... Celtic Motherwell .......................... LWLWWW
(Playing Sunday, 3pm)
WWLWdW ........................... Hearts St Mirren ................................ DLWLLL dWWWLL ....................... Livingston Kilmarnock ............................ dLDWdD DLLWWL ................... St Johnstone Aberdeen ........................ WWWWWW
Dundee v Hibernian (Friday 7:45pm),
XXHamilton v Rangers (Sunday 12:15pm)
LADBROKES SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP
DdDLWL ................................... Ayr Dunfermline ........................... LdWLLd DDdLDW ............................. Falkirk Dundee United ..................... DDLWLW WDLWWL ................. Inverness CT Morton ................................... LdWLLL WDLDWW ........................... Partick Ross County ....................... WDLLWW WWdDWW ........... Queen of South Alloa ....................................... LDDDLL LADBROKES SCOTTISH LEAGUE ONE
LWLWLD ........................... Arbroath Airdrieonians ........................ DWWLLL Brechin v Stranraer, East Fife v Dumbarton, Forfar v Stenhousemuir, Raith v Montrose
Leicester, Reading, West Brom, Wigan, Plymouth, Cheltenham, Colchester, Crawley Town, Swindon, Yeovil
Arsenal, Newcastle, Birmingham, Leeds, Luton, Peterborough, Mansfield, Milton Keynes Dons, Celtic, Hearts
Hull, Aston Villa, Barnsley, Aberdeen, Dundee Utd, Ross County