WARMING UP!
Plucky Canaries plot winter climb
JON WEST DEAN SMITH reckons that Norwich are unlucky to be still stuck in the drop zone.
The Canaries remain shy of double figures in points. Their goal tally is still the worst in the Prem, and Teemu Pukki missed a great chanceto win this one.
But at least they are now battling for the full 90 minutes – and drew applause from the Carrow Road faithful on the final whistle.
New boss Smith declared the stalemate an upgrade on
the 2-1 defeat of Southampton in his first game in charge.
Smith (above) said: “I thought the performance was better. We were probably fortunate to gain an extra two points last week – and unfortunate that we lost a couple of points this week.
“Our overall performance was really good. When I first came in, I said I wanted us not to give away big chances, and we restricted them to very few.
“We’ve created four big chances. On another day we win the game. On another day Teemu goes away with a brace.
“We had a number of good chances where we could’ve been more clinical and won the game.”
Norwich made the energetic start their new boss had ordered, although Pukki (below) and Josh Sargent were off target with early sighters.
Raul Jimenez fired over at the other end from Rayan Ait-Nouri’s cross as Wolves began to move the ball at pace but the next chance was Norwich’s, with Ben Gibson’s header from a free-kick deflected behind by Romain Saiss’ last-gasp intervention.
Milot Rashica then went close with a free-kick for Smith’s side, whose levels of confidence were rising with every kick.
The Canaries had conceded goals for fun under previous boss
Daniel Farke, and almost gave away a clanger-of-the-season contender two minutes before the break.
Skipper Grant Hanley sold his keeper Tim Krul short with a Cruyff turn under pressure, and a duff backpass, as Wolves pressed in numbers.
Krul shanked his clearance straight to Joao Moutinho, and the keeper had to scramble hard to block the midfielder’s attempt to find an empty net from 20 yards.
There was still time for a decent Norwich chance before half-time. Max Aarons played a one-two with sub Lukas Rupp to get to the six-yard box but was denied by the legs of Wolves keeper Jose Sa.
Jimenez almost capitalised on a Gibson error at the start of the second half, with Rashica going close at the other end soon after.
Norwich’s defence held firm and the better chances of the final 25 minutes were theirs.
Misfiring talisman Pukki could only poke at keeper Sa after Rupp played him in.
Rupp scuffed a decent chance of his own straight at the keeper, who almost fumbled it. There was time for one more decent opportunity but Pukki, on the stretch as a ball fizzed across the box, again poked wide.
Wolves manager Bruno Lage bemoaned the lack of grit he saw from his side.
Lage said: “We needed to be more aggressive.
“It’s a point but we should do better, especially in the final third. We lost too many balls, conceded the transitions.”
Lage added: “Football is also about shooting on goal.”