NORWICH 1
BE WARNED. Never, ever leave your seat early when Norwich are in town as the Canaries keep flying until the end.
West Brom failed to shoot them down and paid the price.
Sub Jordan Rhodes’ 83rd-minute goal with his first touch was the EIGHTH time this season Norwich have either saved themselves from defeat or won in the last 10 minutes.
Rhodes had only been off the bench for two minutes when he put a cross from fellow sub Kenny McLean past keeper Sam Johnstone.
Norwich boss Daniel Farke admitted: “All our games are pretty crazy. I would prefer a boring 2-0 to happen sometimes.
“But we have this mentality of neversay-die. It’s one of our biggest strengths.
“We have such a young side on the pitch and sometimes there are the mistakes – but we have this way of coming back.
“I always felt we could get back in this game because I trust my lads. We have so many threats, we are always able to score, so I was always hopeful.
“We wanted to be greedy and win, but we have a point from a difficult game at the top of the league.”
West Brom had their chances to build on an early opener from Dwight Gayle ( below, with Rekeem Harper) but they were kept at bay by Norwich keeper Tim Krul.
“I thought we c ontrol l ed the game for long spells,” said Baggies boss Darren Moore.
“But if there is one chance I did not want to drop to their team it was Jordan Rhodes. I have worked with Rhodes and I know what a stellar finisher he is.
“His goal and Gayle’s were similar – calm, composed. They looked like two marksmen who have regularly been in those positions.”
Norwich have totted up 18 points from their eight late, late shows.
They need them too, because they’ve dropped out of the Championship’s top two with only one win in their last six league games.
It took Krul’s save right at the end from Hal Robson-Kanu to make sure Norwich got their point and Farke praised game-saver Rhodes.
“He is definitely one of the best strikers in the whole league,” said Farke, who has equalled club history with 12 unbeaten away games.
“It was Rhodes’ first touch of the game, so difficult, but he took it well.”
West Brom should have been out of sight long before McLean and Rhodes answered the SOS call.
They were on fire in the first half and it was as if they were trying to bury Norwich and give them no chance of rising from the dead yet again.
Mason Holgate, making his Championship debut on loan from Everton, put over a 12th-minute cross and Gayle was on it, shooting home his 14th goal of the season on his comeback from injury.
The Canaries didn’t get flying until Teemu Pukki had a 32nd- minute header saved.
But Pukki – who like Gayle has been so hot this season – wasted more chances and it was Krul who stopped West Brom bagging all three points with two saves from Robson-Kanu and Gareth Barry.