And here’s the report from Paul MacInnes at Carrow Road.
Sean Dyche growls his post-match thoughts.
Bizarre. I don’t think you have played against a team with two sendings off and two banks of four and no centre-forward. To have 15 clean sheets is very pleasing. Its been a difficult time on and off the pitch. I am being really critical of this group but they have been absolutely fantastic all season. We are asking a lot of these players. This rest period will give the lads a few days off.
Burnley goalscorer Chris Wood speaks.
It was very nice. It was a good time to score. They went two banks of four, and defended their box. At the end of the day we got the three points and that’s all that matters. We’ve got a record number of wins and record number of points. We are very motivated, we wanted to beat the 52-points mark.
[On Nick Pope] As a team we will be fighting hard for him. In my opinion, he’s the best in the country, and he’s got to 15 in a team like Burnley.
Stephen Carr is back for more: “Despite being one up, against an already relegated team who are down to nine men, Burnley haven’t altered their approach at all. I suppose that’s admirable.”
Such is Dyche-ball.
Peter Oh zings in. “It’s just one of those days for Norwich. And to think, buendia is Spanish for “good day”.”
Norwich’s season laid bare by the table while Burnley have their highest ever points total in the Premier League. They are up to ninth.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 36 | 48 | 93 |
| 2 | Man City | 36 | 58 | 75 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 36 | 15 | 63 |
| 4 | Leicester | 36 | 31 | 62 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 36 | 28 | 62 |
| 6 | Wolverhampton | 36 | 11 | 56 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 36 | 11 | 55 |
| 8 | Sheff Utd | 36 | 3 | 54 |
| 9 | Burnley | 37 | -6 | 54 |
| 10 | Arsenal | 36 | 8 | 53 |
| 11 | Everton | 36 | -11 | 46 |
| 12 | Southampton | 36 | -13 | 46 |
| 13 | Newcastle | 36 | -18 | 43 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 36 | -17 | 42 |
| 15 | West Ham | 36 | -13 | 37 |
| 16 | Brighton | 36 | -16 | 37 |
| 17 | Watford | 36 | -23 | 34 |
| 18 | AFC Bournemouth | 36 | -25 | 31 |
| 19 | Aston Villa | 36 | -27 | 31 |
| 20 | Norwich | 37 | -44 | 21 |
Full-time: Norwich 0-2 Burnley
It’s going to be a sad goodbye for Norwich. Not good enough today, and those red cards for Buendia and Drmic and the own-goal by Ben Godfrey were all self-inflicted, comedic moments. Burnley barely had to break stride. Nick Pope now tops the clean sheet charts with 15.
Updated
90+3 min: Off goes Tettey, on to his third Norwich relegation, for Vrancic. Amid the action, Tim Krul, surely man of the match, makes another fine save from a Bardsley rasper.
90+2 min: Burnley chase another though not exhaustively. A win is already theirs.
90+4 min: Four minutes of Premier League football left at Carrow Road for at least the next year.
89 min: The Sky TV commentators make their latest apology for rude words. There’s been a few of them. Meanwhile, Krul makes his latest save, from Vydra after a fine pass from Bardsley.
87 min: Norwich sub: Idah on for Hernandez.
86 min: Krul did well to avert a penalty. Robbie Brady sought to buy a penalty but Krul was too wary and withdrew his hands when Brady wanted to dive over him.
85 min: The unfortunate Godfrey headed the corner behind. Nick Pope remains unsullied.
84 min: Nick Pope thrust in action when Hernandez escapes and shoots. The clean sheet is preserved at the cost of a corner.
82 min: Daniel Farke looked haunted by that moment. Is he under imminent pressure? It has to be a possibility considering the manner in which Norwich have descended back to the Championship. Godfrey had played well, too. A shame, as Norwich’s defenders had looked to have been restoring some pride.
Goal! Norwich 0-2 Burnley (Godfrey, 81 OG)
Oh no! Oh Norwich. Pieters’ cross comes in and Godfrey pokes past his keeper. That was inexplicable. That was Norwich since the football restarted.
Updated
80 min: Vydra goes close almost immediately. Rodriguez slips him in and it’s Krul again who comes out and does well to stop the danger.
Updated
79 min: Brownhill, granted space, tries his luck from distance. Here comes a Burnley change: Vydra on, and Chris Wood, the goalscorer, goes off.
76 min: Off goes Todd Cantwell, looking not a little miffed at his withdrawal. Rupp comes on in his stead.
75 min: Tarkowski heads over from McNeil’s cross. The angle was too shallow to challenge the now imperious Krul.
74 min: Brady whips the ball in and Krul collects with ease. Norwich a bit more troubled by McNeil’s run but Zimmerman makes another fine block.
72 min: Tarkowski is ok to come back on.
71 min: Back into the action, and Tarkowski, in tackling Kenny McLean, has picked up an injury. Sean Dyche reassembles his players for further instructions.
69 min: Here’s drinks. Tim Krul deserves a double for his efforts so far.
68 min: Burnley ratcheting it up. Norwich ganting on the drinks break, which is imminent.
67 min: Bardsley shoots from distance but Burnley win a corner. From that Rodriguez almost steers the ball into the goal but Krul - again - makes an excellent save.
65 min: Burnley dominating but not exactly creating golden chances. Norwich have defended well. Krul, though, has to concede a corner from Pieters’ looped header.
63 min: Brady again involved and again smiling when he fails to make much of a chance to shoot on goal. Burnley have, Bardsley aside, been quite smiley. There is a distinct contrast with Norwich’s mood.
62 min: Robbie Brady, bearded these days, offers a smile to Brownhill for the pass that didn’t quite come his way.
61 min: No amount of fake crowd can stop Phil Bardsley’s colourful thoughts on certain refereeing decisions being heard.
60 min: Burnley sub: Robbie Brady comes on for Gudmundsson
57 min: Burnley not quite going for the throat. They can just wait for Norwich to get tired though the use of five subs may lessen the impact of fatigue. At the moment, they are denied by some decent defending from Zimmerman and Godfrey.
55 min: McNeil lofts the ball for Rodriguez to attack but the striker just narrowly fails to get to it.
53 min: Rodriguez attempted a shot, but Godfrey stepped across for a decent block.
52 min: Norwich seem more up for this half than they did at the start of the first. Cantwell is strolling around, playing passes and looking for angles to play off.
50 min: A couple of forceful Norwich tackles. Could we be in store for eight men on the field? Burnley go close, as Westwood chips in a ball that Chris Wood makes a mess of.
48 min: Nick Pope looks very likely to step over Ederson in that Golden Gloves clean sheet race. Burnley are pouring forward and he could probably spark up a Woodbine while Tim Krul is put through his paces. Norwich’s keeper makes a smart save from Pieters to start his workload.
Updated
46 min: Burnley quickly on the attack. Norwich sat deep. Here’s the expected pattern of the next 45 minutes.
Norwich sub at half-time: Tim “Rosie Gaines” Klose off, on comes Christoph Zimmerman.
Further additions to the overhead/header Chris Wood debate. It looks like the ball came off his head after his overhead kick.
This a good point, well made.
Would have loved to have seen Buendia’s face when he realised Drmic hadn’t walked in the dressing room for half time.
— Phil Blundell (@PhilBlundell) July 18, 2020
J.R. in Illinois emails in. “Wood didn’t head in that goal. It was an overhead kick.”
He’s right, of course, but it was a very low overhead kick. It was the type of goal Denis Law and Andy Gray used to score in a very different era where a striker had to peel himself from the mud.
Stephen Carr calls in: “I would have love to have heard Sean Dyche’s reaction to that sending off if it would have been a Burnley player.”
Hmm, perhaps. The second was a bit more clearcut. Buendia was a wally, mind you.
Half-time: Norwich 0-1 Burnley
It was a nothing game and then Norwich decided to liven it up by getting two men sent off for rank stupidity. It’s beginning to look like Daniel Farke has lost the run of these players. That was the performance of an unfocused team. Burnley have not had to get out of neutral.
Goal! Norwich 0-1 Burnley (Wood, 45+4)
Gudmundsson loops the ball in, and Wood pokes home. Oh Norwich, oh no. This has been self-inflicted.
Updated
Another red card for Norwich! Drmic is off.
48+3 min: That was wild, very wild. Drmic lost the ball and lunged into Pieters. It’s a straight red. There is a delay for VAR but it has to be a red card. Dear me, Norwich.
Updated
45 min: Half-time looms. How cruel will the time added on be? Three minutes seems ok considering we had a long wait for the Buendia decision.
43 min: Burnley penalty claim! VAR looking at Klose’s challenge on Wood while play continues. There is a very long wait as play idles on. Someone on the sidelines was not amused by that decision. “Are you ****ing winding me up?” they say. For what it’s worth, it didn’t look a penalty.
Updated
42 min: McNeil takes it, and the ball spinnakers off the wall and Krul makes a great save. For some of these players, these final two games are something of a shop window.
Updated
41 min: Krul climbs highest to claim a Burnley corner. He seems too good a goalie not to be in the Premier League. He has work to do now. McNeil is brought down and there will be a Burnley free-kick.
39 min: Rodriguez goes close....a fine save from Krul. Burnley begin knocking firmly on the door. Wood is thwarted by Max Aarons as the ball seemed to be dropping.
Updated
38 min: Doubtless, Burnley can be relied upon to go for this one...ok, maybe not. Norwich can be expected to be ground down.
36 min: By the letter of the law it’s a sending-off, but it was all a bit unnecessary. Buendia smiled as he received the card. That’s probably his last act in a Norwich shirt. That’s a sad note to depart on.
Red card for Buendia!
Cantwell is neat in midfield but again Norwich’s attack is lightning slow. Then Westwood of Burnley goes down, and there seems to have been some afters with Buendia. Here comes VAR. Buendia may get away with it as Westwood made a meal of it. There’s a red card in the offing and the ref Kevin Friend goes to the monitor. There’s novelty.
Updated
31 min: Klose handball as Chris Wood tries to attack? No, in fact, it was Wood’s arm which controlled the ball.
29 min: There’s some laughter on the sidelines over a disputed throw-in. Yes, this is very much an end-of-season game. The ref has a word but he can hardly punish either Tarkowski and Lewis when both are giggling away.
27 min: Hernandez has a glimpse of a chance to run at Burnley’s players but is pulled back for handball. Norwich have players of pace and some invention but lack zest in attack.
25 min: Both managers indulge in some cajolery, but no fireworks in that tactical break. Can I shock you? I don’t mind those breaks. Perhaps it’s novelty value.
23 min: Chances at both ends. but this still feels like end-of-season fare. A Burnley corner is launched into the box and Krul is fouled. Not much dissent over that decision. And that’s drinks.
Updated
20 min: It was Tim Klose who put Rodriguez off there. Like non-compatriot Miroslav (Tim is Swiss), his name conjures this mid-90s garage classic.
Updated
19 min: Close for Norwich! From a corner Pope makes a fine save and Tettey volleys wide. It was Godfrey’s header. At the other end, Jay Rodriguez fires wide.
17 min: That Dwight McNeil top billing results in a commentators’ curse of him walloping the ball into the canopy behind the goal. That was not great.
15 min: Todd Cantwell hair watch: the Beckham braids and Brad Willis look have gone, to be replaced by a similar ponytail to Tom Davies of Everton/a member of an early-90s shoegaze band. It’s topped off and kept in control by a fetching yellow alice band.
14 min: First touch for Dwight McNeil, who has been quiet and is usually the richest seam of creativity for Burnley. A fine player on his day.
12 min: Burnley yet to muster an attack worthy of the name. They have not exactly been ‘at it’.
11 min: Cantwell in the deep tries to set up a passing move. It’s somewhat powderpuff but they do get another corner. Nick Pope claims that with plenty of ease.
Updated
9 min: Buendia takes the corner and Ben Godfrey gets to the header but heads it down and behind.
8 min: Buendia looks lively enough considering that pre-match scare. Norwich win a corner as Jamal Lewis’ attempt is blocked.
Updated
7 min: Nice skill from Gudmundsson, and Bardsley’s ball is blocked. There are claims for a Norwich handball from the box, with one claimant having a suspiciously Dyche-like growl.
6 min: Burnley have not been too ambitious in attack so far. They are playing for a top-ten position, par for them in recent years but still an almighty achievement considering their financial constraints.
5 min: Phil Bardsley is fouled. He’s playing on a temporary deal, unlike the likes of Joe Hart and Jeff Hendricks, whose contracts were not revived. The latter of them I saw connected with a move to AC Milan this week.
3 min: Norwich take up the cudgels of possession and Tim Krul steps up from goalkeeper to play what looks like a sweeper position.
1 min: Norwich immediately win a corner. It comes out to Cantwell whose shot is blocked by Tarkowsi. That’s the special move for Burnley’s defenders.
The Alan Parsons Project’s Sirius and then On The Ball, City ring out. The countdown is followed by the players taking of the knee and then we are go....!
The teams take to the field in what will be Carrow Road’s last Premier League match for some time. Nick Pope of Burnley is competing for the Golden Glove awards for most clean sheets. He is level with Manchester City’s Ederson on 14 for the season.
Updated
Daniel Farke speaks, though he did so before Buendia went down. The good news is that Buendia should be ok to continue. He’s moving freely in the warmup now.
[On the Chelsea game]We showed great commitment, and great unity and desire. We were not far from travelling back with one point.
[On Buendia coming in] One more offensive player coming in. It is important to have offensive players. Burnley have showed great consistency.
Breaking news: it looks like Emil Buendia has a pre-match injury sustained in the warmup and Norwich may have to make a change.
We’ve been really pleased. The mentality has been superb. We know we have to show out capabilities as we have been doing. The challenges we have had with the injuries and the personnel, the clear-mindedness that we have had throughout the lockdown period.
[On Nick Pope] He’s developing his all-round game. There’s people in front of him working very hard.
We are not taking this lightly, I can assure you. We will see were today takes us and then on to the next one.
Updated
Here’s those teams in less fanciful, social media style.
Norwich: Krul, Aarons, Godfrey, Klose, Lewis, Tettey, McLean, Cantwell, Emi, Hernandez, Drmic.
Subs: Zimmermann, Rupp, Vrancic, Stiepermann, Pukki, McGovern, Idah, Famewo, Martin.
Burnley: Pope, Bardsley, Long, Tarkowski, Pieters, Gudmundsson, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil, Wood, Rodriguez.
Subs: Brady, Peacock-Farrell, Vydra, Thompson, Dunne, Benson, Goodridge, Driscoll-Glennon, Mumbongo.
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)
Who will join Burnley and replace Norwich. The picture has been somewhat clouded by today’s action.
Here’s the league table to remind of Norwich’s fate and, it has to be said, the unlikelihood of Burnley making it back to the Europa League.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 36 | 48 | 93 |
| 2 | Man City | 36 | 58 | 75 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 36 | 15 | 63 |
| 4 | Leicester | 36 | 31 | 62 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 36 | 28 | 62 |
| 6 | Wolverhampton | 36 | 11 | 56 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 36 | 11 | 55 |
| 8 | Sheff Utd | 36 | 3 | 54 |
| 9 | Arsenal | 36 | 8 | 53 |
| 10 | Burnley | 36 | -8 | 51 |
| 11 | Everton | 36 | -11 | 46 |
| 12 | Southampton | 36 | -13 | 46 |
| 13 | Newcastle | 36 | -18 | 43 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 36 | -17 | 42 |
| 15 | West Ham | 36 | -13 | 37 |
| 16 | Brighton | 36 | -16 | 37 |
| 17 | Watford | 36 | -23 | 34 |
| 18 | AFC Bournemouth | 36 | -25 | 31 |
| 19 | Aston Villa | 36 | -27 | 31 |
| 20 | Norwich | 36 | -42 | 21 |
Here are the teams
🚨 TEAM NEWS 🚨
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) July 18, 2020
▪ One change from Tuesday's game at Chelsea
▪ Buendia replaces Rupp in the XI
▪ Zimbo returns to the bench#NORBUR
TEAM NEWS: Here's how the Clarets line-up for the penultimate @premierleague game of the season v @NorwichCityFC pic.twitter.com/bjOy04uF8d
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) July 18, 2020
Preamble
Project Restart has not been kind to Norwich, who have lost every game since football came back and are now relegated back to the Championship. Those days when it was said that Daniel Farke’s were the best team to sit bottom of the Premier League now seem a distant dream.
Burnley, though, have had a restorative time, at least on the field. A pair of 1-1 draws with Liverpool and Wolves have shown off Sean Dyche’s team in their finest flintiness. There is still European football to play for, though the club’s memories of the 2018-19 season, when a sojourn in the Europa League preliminary rounds threatened their Premier League status, may not be too fond.
There remain doubts over Sean Dyche’s future, with cash a concern, and money even tighter now in the time of Covid-19 so this may even be his penultimate game in charge. This could be one where pride is being played for and there is no prouder man in football than Sean Dyche.
Kick-off is 5.30pm, join me.
