The talk around Carrow Road had been of using Crystal Palace as a benchmark for top-flight consolidation and Norwich City were given a tough lesson in the margins they will have to negotiate if they are to emulate the success of Alan Pardew’s team.
Some of them will lie outside their control. Norwich could have defended better when Wilfried Zaha acrobatically volleyed Palace ahead and their marking was abysmal when Damien Delaney doubled the lead four minutes after the restart, but they were left aggrieved by Simon Hooper’s decision to disallow a Cameron Jerome effort that would have completed a turnaround for 2-2.
The referee judged that Jerome’s overhead kick past Alex McCarthy constituted dangerous play, even though the apparently sinned-against Joel Ward seemed to be looking away from the ball. Six minutes had elapsed since Nathan Redmond had pulled a goal back for Norwich and, with 15 to play, the momentum would have been with Alex Neil’s side had the goal stood.
“When it affects the game and affects you getting a point, or maybe three points, then it’s extremely frustrating,” said Neil, whose players had also sought a late penalty for an apparent push by Connor Wickham on Sébastien Bassong.
“If the lad was potentially going to be hurt by Cameron’s leg then it might have been called a foul but I don’t think that was the case. I don’t think his studs or foot are in any danger of hitting the lad and as far as I’m concerned it’s a perfectly good goal disallowed.”
Pardew agreed his side, who wrapped things up with a Yohan Cabaye goal on the counter, might have had a let-off.
“In the penalty box, and an overhead kick from a striker going in, I’d be disappointed with that,” he said. “I understand Norwich’s frustration for sure.”
Norwich had warmed to the task with the appetite expected of a promoted side, with Jonny Howson joining the right-back Steven Whittaker in exposing the Palace left-back Pape Souaré.
It was Whittaker whose centre Lewis Grabban jabbed against a post in front of an empty goal 10 minutes in and, although he was flagged offside, there was no obvious offence.
Glenn Murray should have converted Palace’s first opportunity on the half-hour when, unattended six yards out, he was thwarted by John Ruddy.
The rebound spun awkwardly and Murray could only hit the outside of the post.
But the balance had tilted and, if Palace’s 39th-minute opener was not quite on the cards, their threat had been building. Jason Puncheon beat Bassong and chipped to the back post where Zaha squeezed a volley past the scrambling Ruddy.
The home team’s movement had lost its zip and by half-time they seemed to be exactly where Palace, with Zaha and Puncheon poised on the counter, wanted them.
The impression was confirmed within four minutes of the restart when Souaré, appearing at the end of a deep Puncheon corner, headed across and the centre-back Delaney scored unfussily. Norwich’s marking was of the kind that does not bode well for a long Premier League spell.
“We had more opportunities to score, dominated most of the ball and didn’t get our just rewards at times,” Neil said. “But we didn’t help ourselves at times – some of the goals we conceded were extremely sloppy.”
There was nearly an instant response when McCarthy blocked from Grabban and then Bradley Johnson’s headed rebound. They then received a lifeline when Redmond, on as a substitute, sent a low 25-yard shot into the bottom corner.
Norwich thought Jerome had completed the turnaround and they came close again when Scott Dann cleared Whittaker’s volley. But their threat diminished and it was left to the understated Cabaye to sweep in a third goal from James McArthur’s pass.
“Yohan needs to gain his power and strength back,” said Pardew. “He’s had nearly a year out of the game – the intensity of Ligue 1 isn’t like this and he didn’t get many games. Once he hardens up and gets six or seven games under his belt we’ll see the old Yohan.”
