Hoolahan puts past behind him to fire Norwich forward
THERE was no muted celebration this time from Wes Hoolahan. Quite the opposite.
The last Premier League goal the midfielder scored came 18 months ago against Aston Villa, the side he had wanted to join so badly he handed in a transfer request to force through a move. Such was his frustration at being denied that he refused to cheer.
But Hoolahan has stayed, through the relegation and the promotion back from the Championship and, when he made a trademark driving dribble and fired into the bottom right of goal against Bournemouth, his exuberant leap was fully welcomed by Carrow Road’s Snakepit corner.
‘He is capable of that,’ manager Alex Neil said after their resounding victory.
‘He isn’t going to always have days when he has that much influence but when he does he is a joy to watch. It was a fantastic goal. I think his performance was terrific, he has been a key figure in my team, I like creative players.’
This was Hoolahan’s match, and his run down the right allowed Cameron Jerome to open the scoring on 35 minutes.
The plucky player flew down the flank and cleverly knocked the ball beyond Bournemouth full-back Steve Cook. His drive into the area forced Artur Boruc to advance from Bournemouth’s goal, leaving Hoolahan to bypass the keeper with a ball into the middle and allowing Jerome to poke into the empty net.
Callum Wilson struck a post with an outstretched boot for Bournemouth in firsthalf stoppage time, but when Norwich scored early in the second, the away side looked shellshocked.
Hoolahan got the goal his display warranted on 52 minutes, then, as Norwich’s onslaught intensified, Robbie
Brady smashed a shot on to the right post before they made it three when debutant Matt Jarvis, on loan from West Ham, cut inside from the right and bent a shot past Boruc.
‘That 10-minute period was most unlike us,’ manager Eddie Howe admitted. ‘I think it was our worse performance in the last 18 months. That’s part of the learning curve for us and development of squad. It’s unlike us. We’ve been there before. Key moments don’t go your way but the game is all about momentum, highs and lows. At this level you will get punished, we got punished here.’
Bournemouth managed to score a consolation goal late on when Cook headed in Simon Francis’s corner, giving the away supporters at least something to cheer for their 460-mile round trip. It took some of the shine off the end result for Norwich, but nothing was going to stop Hoolahan’s celebrations.