Norwich vs. Stoke Match Report

Stoke manager Tony Pulis will be left wondering how his team only managed to come away with one point.

There was quite a surprise for the fans to see that Norwich manager Paul Lambert had opted to place last week’s scorer Wes Hoolahan on the bench, especially after Zak Whitbread being sidelined with an injury. Anthony Pilkington, Elliott Bennettand and Kyle Naughton found themselves all starting after signing for Norwich in the Summer.

Stoke City, fresh from their midweek victory over FC Thun in their Europa League qualifier, made four changes, with Asmir Begovic, Jonathan Woodgate, Jermaine Pennant and Glenn Whelan being recalled.

Early in to the game, it was Stoke who were in control. Jermaine Pennant was instrumental with some piercing through balls and some quality crossing. There were worries in the Stoke camp when he started clutching his ankle but seemed to run it off moments later to help Kenwyne Jones terrorise the Norwich defence.

Norwich’s Leon Barnett went down in the penalty box after a mid-air collision with Robert Huth but replays showed that Barnett went down far too easily, and referee Swarbrick rightfully gave the freekick to Stoke.

Even:

Midway through the first half, it became a very even game, with both teams challenging each other’s defensive capabilities, but neither side had that final touch. Jonathan Woodgate had been the saviour for Stoke on more than one occasion.

Pilkington had the best chance early on for Norwich when his first time shot was blocked well by Ryan Shawcross. Begovic would not have stopped it had it not been for Shawcross.

Despite looking like it wasn’t going to bother him so much, it finally got too much for Pennant and he had to be taken off. This was a major blow to Stoke as he was arguably their best player for much of the game, and they will be hoping it’s just a slight knock.

de Laet:

It took seven minutes for Norwich to capitalise on the Stoke’s forced substitution, but they did remarkably well. Norwich were given a freekick after Woodgate brought down Bennett in a rash challenge, of which he received a yellow card. Bradley Johnson sends the ball toward Ritchie de Laet who heads it past Begovic to give Norwich the lead.

After the goal, confidence was high in the Norwich team and it showed on the pitch. If not for Begovic, Norwich could have been two or three up just before half-time. Stoke’s defence seemed to get really shakey and Stoke boss Tony Pulis would have been glad for the break.

Second Half:

The second half brought much of the same equal playing field, with Stoke having the earliest chance even though Norwich were the team pressing the most. Danny Pugh was free at the far post but had to really stretch to reach the oncoming ball shooting over the bar. Norwich responded well straight away however with a shot by Chri Martin which Begovic stopped with both hands.

This game will be known more for the wasted chances that the great skill shown by both teams. A number of great shooting chances appeared but were wasted. Bradley Johnson shot from range only for it to go massively wide, moments before Shawcross failed to hit the net from a Matthew Etherington cross.

Heroics:

Etherington later threatened with a ferocious freekick when Grant Holt fouled Whelen. Norwich keeper John Ruddy was well up to the challenge however and made a great save.

Leon Barnett earned a valuable lesson in penalty box defending after bringing down Jonathan Walters, resulting in a red card for him, and a Stoke penalty. Walters himself took the spot kick only to have it saved by Ruddy, sending the Norwich fans in to raptures. Further looks on the replay show that there is a string case for the initial challenge being outside the box.

Norwich started to sink away after the penalty, and Stoke were showing why they are such a difficult team to beat. Norwich made three substitutions but that did not make much of a difference as Stoke continued to press and show their dominance.

Ruddy was the hero for Norwich time and time again as he put in a fine performance while the defenders in front of him didn’t seem to know what to do. The last 15 minutes was a very busy time for him, saving chances from Ryan Shotton, Huth, Jones and Walters.

Agony:

Closing in on 90 minutes and Norwich fans might have felt they could relax a bit, comfortable with the three points they would receive, but to their dismay, the fourth official decided on five minutes of injury time. Despite the heroics of Ruddy, de Laet, Shawcross and Ayala (who came on as a second half substitute), Stoke finally got their equaliser in the fourth minute of injury time. Whelan showed excellent vision as he crossed in to Jones who smashed the header in to the corner.

Norwich had a very quick last chance in the final minute of play when a freekick was launched in to the area which Begovic didn’t deal with properly after dropping the ball. Nothing came from it though as the referee blew for a foul, and then for full-time.

Despite the dubious red card, the game was very clean and professional one. Only two yellow cards, both in the first half, were given to Stoke’s Woodgate and Shawcross. Stoke had the most shots with 13 to Norwich’s five. Stoke had more of the possession and had a more successful pass rate throughout the game, this match really should have belonged to The Potters. Norwich now lay 10th in the table, while Stoke rest in 12th.