Smith delighted to see dream Teem back in business
DEAN SMITH hailed Teemu Pukki after the flying Finn scored his first goal of the season as Norwich moved top of the Championship with a comfortable win over bottom side Coventry.
They have been here before. Pukki scored a combined 56 goals in the Canaries’ last two promotion campaigns.
Injury has disrupted the start of this campaign but the manner in which he found space to accept a Marcelino Nunez pass in the 14th minute and slip his shot into the bottom corner suggests that normal service has been resumed.
Smith said: “It was important for me to get Teemu in today. He changed the last two games and he deserved his start and his goal.
“He’s a massive player for us. You could see he hasn’t too much game time and he blew up a bit towards the end.
“He’s intelligent. He makes unbelievable runs.
“Teemu has a great eye for where to go and make it uncomfortable for defenders.”
Smith was also delighted with the contribution of 19-year-old playmaker Aaron Ramsey.
He cleverly set up Josh Sargent with a deft backheel which the US striker wasted before combining delightfully with Pukki to give Sargent a chance he couldn’t spurn on the stroke of half-time.
Smith added: “Some of AJ’S vision was outstanding.
“He has really good awareness of what’s around him, produces really good passes and he’s adapted to life really well. He upped it a level today and made some really good deep runs too.”
Sargent’s goal came after Coventry were denied what looked like a perfectly good equaliser when Kyle Mcfadzean fired home a waist-high shot only to see it disallowed for Tyler Walker being adjudged to be in an offside position.
Sky Blues boss Mark Robins commendably refused to blame that for his side’s defeat. Because of pitch problems at the Coventry Arena, his side are still off the pace.
Yesterday’s game was their fourth away fixture in their opening five games.
Robins said: “It’s not comfortable watching.
“It’s about how we come through this period, having been dealt as many slaps across the face as you can get.
“And then you’re playing catch-up. We’ve just got to stick together and build performance levels.”
Substitute Kieran Dowell capped the win when he sidefooted home after Todd Cantwell had released Sargent in the 81st minute.
NORWICH: Krul 6; Aarons 7, Omobamidele 8, Hanley 6, Byram 6 (Hernandez (72) 6); Nunez 8, Mclean 7; Sargent 6 (Hugill (83) 6), Ramsey 8 (Dowell (72) 6), Cantwell 6 (Sinani (83) 6); Pukki 9 (Sara (72) 7)
COVENTRY: Wilson 6; Rose 6 (Godden (68) 6), Mcfadzean 8, Doyle 7 (Panzo (82) 6); Dabo 7, Sheaf 6, Hamer 5, Allen 6, Bidwell 6; Palmer 5 (Gyokeres (46) 6); Walker 6 (Tavares (68) 6)
STAR MAN: Teemu Pukki - A threat throughout. Stroked home the
Canaries’ first goal, cleverly set up the second.
REF: Gavin Ward 6