15 defeats in a row! You fear for Norwich
Wait goes on for Farke as Watford win comfortably
IS IT too early to bring out the cliche ‘relegation six-pointer’? This had all the hallmarks of one: a seismic win on the road for Watford which condemned Norwich to a fifth straight loss upon their return to the Premier League.
Star man Ismaila Sarr netted a second-half brace — after Teemu Pukki cancelled out Emmanuel Dennis’S early opener — to help Xisco Munoz’s men climb up to 11th place.
A crucial win to stop the rot for the Hornets, but what dismal reading it made for Daniel Farke’s Norwich. They have nOt won or even drawn in the top flight since February 2020.
After winning the Championship at a canter last season, it Is played five, lost five this season — and 15 defeats on the bounce in Premier League matches.
With games against Manchester City, Liverpool and Leicester to start the campaign, this loss will hurt the most. After being promoted together, it was Watford who looked built for survival.
So, another cliche: you fear for Norwich this year. The Canaries are the fifth team to lose their first five fixtures of a Premier League season.
They will take heart knowing two of those stayed up (Southampton, 1998/99, and Crystal Palace, 2017/18). But Farke faces a huge task to guide his troops to safety.
‘We can’t feel sorry for ourselves, we must roll our sleeves up and work on this,’ he said. ‘We have conceded too many goals so far. It’s a really tough day for us.’
But credit must be given to Watford, who were energetic and efficient with the ball. They led after 17 minutes, when Dennis made a clever run to evade two defenders and head home from a searching Tom Cleverley cross.
‘If you produce mistakes at this level, you are punished,’ said Farke on the defending from debutant Ozan Kabak and captain Grant Hanley, both of whom stood like statues as Dennis darted past to score.
Norwich responded well but Ben Foster, starting his first league match of the season, might as well have stayed on the bench. The 38-year-old was a mere spectator as the Canaries failed to threaten despite having more possession. Before this match, they had a league-low eight shots on goal.
It is a good job the man leading their line is one of the division’s most-prolific forwards: Teemu Pukki.
He equalised after 35 minutes with his first chance of the match after a delightful pass by debutant Mathias Normann, the Norwegian midfielder they signed from Russian outfit Rostov.
Watford were the 35th English
club he has netted against but that is a meaningless stat when the rest of his team do not deliver.
A more pertinent fact would be that, of Farke’s time at Norwich — 201 matches, Watford have proven to be his most troublesome opponents — he has now lost to them five times in as many matches
For all of Pukki’s goal-scoring acumen, it was Sarr who stole the show. He gave Manchester United loanee Brandon Williams an afternoon to forget on that flank
and should really have put Watford ahead with the last kick of the first half.
He found himself facing up to Tim Krul’s goal but hesitated over whether to take it round the Dutchman or to shoot and, before he decided, the chance was gone, the Canaries keeper smothering the ball.
He did not need a second chance, though. Not long into the second half, the Senegalese international reinstated Watford’s lead after being teed up by Joshua King.
Again, Hanley was caught on his heels and lost track of Sarr’s run across him.
He added another in the 81st minute, prodding home a rebound after Krul saved King’s shot. The flag immediately went up for offside against King but VAR reviews showed he was onside — marginally — and the goal stood.
‘We are so solid and more offensive going forward,’ said Xisco. ‘Today was a brilliant performance. We controlled the game.’
The Watford fans teased Norwich with a chorus of ‘how bad must you be, we’re winning away’. After eight straight Premier League away defeats, it was a pleasing trip for them.
Or as Xisco put it: ‘It’s perfect, a huge step forward.’
NORWICH (4-3-3): Krul 6; Aarons 6, Hanley 6, Kabak 6, Williams 6.5; Gilmour 6, Normann 6.5 (Cantwell 70min, 6), McLean 6; Rashica 6.5 (Idah 88), Pukki 7, Sargent 7.5 (Tzolis 70, 6). Subs (not used): Gunn, Gibson, Rupp, Lees-Melou, Giannoulis, Omobamidele. WATFORD (4-3-3): Foster 6.5; Femenia 6 (Ngakia 59, 6), Cathcart 5, Troost-Ekong 6, Rose 5; Cleverley 7 (Etebo 83), Kucka 6, Sissoko 6.5; Sarr 7.5, King 6.5, Dennis 7 (Sema 73, 6). Booked: Cathcart. Subs (not used): Bachmann, Louza, Masina, Fletcher, Kabasele, Cucho. Referee: R Jones (Merseyside) 6.