That’s all from me, but it sure is good to be back. Thank you all for following today.
Here is tonight’s report from Paul MacInnies.
A much appreciated tweet from Gary N:
Norwich appear to be summarising the last few months in Westminster with their selection.
Cantwell McGovern? Trybull.
I suppose that’s what you get with an absolute Farke in charge.
Roy Keane:
“[Norwich] just leave so many spaces. It ended up three-nil, but it could have been more.”
Keane also referred to Norwich as “doomed”, which about sums it up.
Mr Danny Ings speaking to Sky Sports:
With the strange environment that we’re in , it’s all about adapting and I think we did that very well this evening.
In the first half when I hit the bar, I was thinking: ‘Oh no, just a bit rusty...‘ but I’m just happy I stuck in there and got the goal.
It’s great to be back and it’s been a long time due to the reasons going on worldwide, which is understandable. To be back out here tonight was great and hopefully he brought joy to the nation as well.
A statement performance to resume what has already been an excellent season for Danny Ings.
Danny Ings created more chances (4) than any other player on the pitch during Norwich 0-3 Southampton, no player attempted more shots (4).
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 19, 2020
And he has a goal and assist to show for it. 😇 pic.twitter.com/3ZQV7yMtRJ
Full time: Norwich City 0-3 Southampton
After failing to put away a couple of decent chances in the first half, that turned into an extremely emphatic display from the away team. Southampton are probably safe now, but it is hard to see any way back for Norwich City.
92+1 min A yellow card for Aarons after a frustated foul on Tella. Ward-Prowse took the free kick pretty well, but it was well read by Krul who quickly cleaned up.
90 min 4 extra minutes of torture for Norwich.
Updated
89 min Substitutions gallore! After Smallbone hoofed the ball into the stands following the corner, Martin replaced Drmic for Norwich. Boufal and Walker-Peters then replaced Redmond and Valery.
This has been the most interesting event for quite a few minutes.
87 min Southampton youngster Nathan Tella replaces goalscorer Danny Ings. A corner for Southampton.
An email from David M:
Well that’s it folks. Grab that parachute and remember to hold the ripcord tight.
David
A canary fan for 70 years
I’m afraid to say that not many people disagree.
83 min After his good work in the final third today, Ings gets back to head away a Norwich free kick. He hasn’t missed a beat.
81 min A couple of substitutions for the away side now. Adams and Smallbone replace Armstrong and Obafemi.
A very resourceful performance from Armstrong today and Obafemi finished on a high note with a really well taken assist.
GOAL! Norwich City 0-3 Southampton (Redmond 78)
Another sloppy, misplaced pass from Norwich allows Southampton to once again flit up the pitch. This time, a great pass from Obafemi there, who located Redmond on the left. An exquisite finish from the former Norwich player stroked the ball into the far post.
Updated
76 min One Southampton player who hasn’t been in top form today is Obafemi. He just made a great run off the left flank and carried the ball into the box, but he failed to look up and spot Ings surrounded by nothing but space. This Southampton attack fizzled out, but no doubt more will be coming.
73 min A yellow card for the first goalscorer, Ings, after a fairly unnecessary foul in the middle of the pitch.
71 min After that intense 15 minutes from Southampton, the game slowed down a bit after the drinks break. No matter, Armstrong picked up the ball just outside of the box on the left and scooped a solid, low strike towards Krul. Good reactions from the Norwich keeper to turn it around the post.
67 min We have our second drrinks break. Thankfully no injuries so far.
65 min This has not been a fun hour for Pukki after a solid start. He finally finds the ball in space in front of goal, only to watch Bednarek fly in the way to make a block just as he let rip. Vrancic bundled the ball into the net off the following Norwich corner, but he was well offside.
62 min A pair of substitutions for Norwich. Cantwell and Trybull off, Vrancic and Hernandez on.
59 min Goodness, just a few minutes ago things were all level. Suddenly Norwich are playing for their pride.
After another blazing break from the away team, Obafemi’s attempt on goal rolled toward’s Ward-Prowse. The Captain’s strike beat the keeper, only for Aarons to clear the ball off the line.
56 min That is surely game over for Norwich today. After another sloppy turnover from the home team, Ings passed to Armstrong who squeezed past two Norwich men, cut inside onto his left foot and then drove a fizzing low strike into the bottom corner. Really well taken.
GOAL! Norwich City 0-2 Southampton (Armstrong 54)
Armstrong doubles the lead for the away team!
Updated
49 min That was an unfortunate sequence for Norwich, but it was coming. They gave Southampton far too many errors in the first half. One suspects that Farke may be looking to make a few changes soon.
GOAL! Norwich City 0-1 Southampton (Ings 49)
Finally! The ball crashed into a couple of legs and very fortunately rolled into Ings’ path, clear on goal. This time, no mistake from the forward who buried an excellent curling strike into the net. His 16th goal of the season.
Updated
46 min And we’re back! Southampton kick off. No changes for either team.
An email from Jonathan S:
This being the first of the free-to-air games (on Pick, hope all the readers know), my initial cynical thought process was... I wonder at what point one can question the ‘value for money’ of a free-to-air game when they’ll be the games cast-off by Sky/BT but...
Had a look at the list of all the free games and they all seem to have something riding on them, aside perhaps from 3 (Palace-Burnley, Southampton-City, Everton-Southampton... assuming Saints are safe that is). Not to mention we get the Merseyside derby!
So, hooray for Covid-19 a competitive league!
Patrice Evra on Sky Sports: “I just feel Norwich are not in a rush. I don’t know if it’s about no fans... I just feel like no one is rushing the goal. You’re waiting for a miracle. There’s no energy.”
Evra also pointed out that he has never been in a relegation fight so he understands that he can’t know how exactly they feel right now. Humble brag.
While we wait, please do make a mental note to give the new Forgotten Stories of Football podcast a listen. You won’t regret it.
Meanwhile.
It's good to have you back boys! #THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/YZ9xWDPHf1
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 19, 2020
Half time: Norwich City 0-0 Southampton
That was fine. Southampton should really be ahead after sustained pressure and too many errors from Norwich yielded one big opportunity for Ings. With a little more sharpness, they probably would be.
Updated
45+1 min Goodness! That was a brilliant delivery from Buendia, but Klose just couldn’t connect with his free header. No matter, the flag is up. Offside.
45 min As we approach half time, a chance from the home team after Armstrong brought down Pukki on the left. Free kick. Let’s see...
41 min Finally, the home side engineer another attack. This time, some good work from Drmic who moved the ball up the left flank before finding Cantwell in the middle. Cantwell quickly located McLean in space, whose left-footed strike from distance was just a little too soft to bother McCarthy.
Updated
37 min This is all Southampton right now. Once again, a loose pass from the home team allowed them to break Højbjerg found Obafemi inside the box, who couldn’t get the ball under control. As Norwich continue to struggle retain possession, Southampton are just a little too wasteful right now.
34 min Southampton are really starting to impose themselves now after far too many unforced errors from the home side.
This time, Trybull gave away a routine pass and the Norwich defence was quickly engulfed by a hoard Southampton players. The ball fell to Ings, whose finish struck the crossbar and flew out. That probably should have been a goal. Too easy.
Updated
29 min A chance! That was an excellently orchestrated corner from Southampton there. Ward-Prowse rolled his delivery in low, finding Armstrong as he flew into the box at the last minute, taking everyone by surprise. In the end, Armstrong’s strike was a little too close to Krul who collected well, but it was a solid attempt.
27 min Immediately after the first break, a first corner for Southampton. Drmic cleared emphatically. Armstrong then picked up the ball and carried it forward before his cross flew straight into the arms of Tim Krul.
Southampton are finding more and more space in the Norwich half but they have to do better than that.
23 min We have our first water break.
22 min Another corner kick for Norwich comes to nothing. However, what preceded it was was a couple of really slick one-two exchanges between McLean and Pukki before the ball fizzled out. Norwich fans will be very pleased to see a couple of very nice touches early on from Pukki.
18 min A big chance for Southampton and a big scare for Norwich as Ings nicked Godfrey, who took too long on the ball, before flitting clear towards goal. Godfrey did well to recover and block Ings’ shot at the very last second. Southampton have already shown that they are going to break whenever possible. The home team should beware.
Updated
This two-tweet thread aptly sums up Norwich’s big chance.
That first touch from Drmic: tragic
— Jack Lang (@jacklang) June 19, 2020
✊✊✊#NORSOU pic.twitter.com/1ag2Ac0LzP
— Goal (@goal) June 19, 2020
11 min Seconds after Norwich’s big chance, Southampton get their first shot on target after a wicked break ended with by Ings attempting a header but connecting with his shoulder. No problem for Krul, although he was slightly wrong-footed.
Max Aarons was clattered in the process but he seems to be OK.
8 min A big chance! Southampton finally did pick up the ball in the Norwich half, only for the home side to break with aplomb. Pukki squared the ball well for Drmić who found space in front of goal, but he just couldn’t untangle the ball and take a shot. That really could have been a goal if he was just a bit sharper.
6 min Again, this has been a sharp start form Norwich, who haven’t yet allowed Southampton any of the ball. It’s Kenny McLean who registers the first shot of the game with a low effort from distance that just whistled past the post.
4 min This is a decent start from the home team. Norwich immediately generated two corners before spending much of the first four minutes moving the ball quickly within the Southampton half.
2 min Close. Norwich get an early free kick, which Buendia whips in towards Cantwell. It nearly fell to him, but Ings flew in with a strong clearance to give away a cornrer.
1 min And now we begin! Norwich kick off.
Once again, as expected, everyone took the knee before kickoff. Michael Obafemi did so with a fist in the air.
Updated
The players are out on the pitch and ready to begin. Once again, a moment of silence for those affected by coronavirus.
Updated
6 - Only the current top four clubs have won more away Premier League games than Southampton this season (6). Counter. #NORSOU pic.twitter.com/9UTHOhjpoY
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 19, 2020
The new normal.#NORSOU pic.twitter.com/I6Zb1RvGEn
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) June 19, 2020
Daniel Farke on his team’s “little miracle”:
The biggest challenge will be the game. Of course circumstances are a bit strange and we have to get used to it. We tried to prepare the players in the best possible way during this little preseason and every team has to adapt to this. Hopefully we can manage it in a perfect way.
We are full of hope and also we trust each other. We know we have nothing to lose - we are the biggest underdog in this league. We had several setbacks during this season, especially with big injuries for us. But against all the odds we want to go all the way and work on our little miracle.
Peter Oh has emailed me a joke. Presented without comment:
“I see that Southampton are sponsored by a fast food pizza chain. Does this mean that the Saints will attempt to pepper(oni) the Canaries’ goalmouth with hot and quick deliveries?”
This is a big day for everyone after so long, but particularly James Ward-Prowse. He will be captaining the Saints until the end of the season with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s future in the balance.
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl had a few things to say before his team returns to the pitch:
It’s important to get back to play and this is what we like to do the most. Special circumstances when you arrive at the stadium and there’s no fan, no atmosphere. But I think we are still looking forward to an intense game.
The most important thing is going back to what made us strong and the behaviours we have shown. I think nobody knows exactly what the level is at the moment. We had a short preseason, only one test. So it will be very interesting to see who adapts quicker to the intense game.
As soon as possible, as much as possible has been the slogan for the past nine games. If we have a good start here, it helps massively. More than 100 days without a premier league game, waiting for playing again means you’re really hot for showing what you can do and how you can play and my players, they are fit and hopefully we see them playing their best.
Updated
Team news is here:
Norwich XI: Krul, Aarons, Godfrey, Klose, Lewis, Trybull, McLean, Buendia, Drmić, Cantwell, Pukki.
Southampton XI: McCarthy, Valery, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand, Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Redmond, Ings, Obafemi.
🚨 TEAM NEWS KLAXON! 🚨
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) June 19, 2020
How #SaintsFC will line-up against #NCFC tonight: pic.twitter.com/yVJo0DqZvK
🚨 TEAM NEWS 🚨
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) June 19, 2020
Here's how we line up for #NORSOU ⬇️
💛 #ApartButTogether
Updated
🗣 A message from the boss ahead of our restart.
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) June 19, 2020
Support us. Stay safe. Follow from home. pic.twitter.com/WigDStFqO2
Preamble
Hello! Welcome to our coverage of Norwich vs Southampton as the Premier League continues to wind back into action after three months of lockdown.
This has been a season with ample positivity from Norwich and some great, progressive performances, but not much to show for it in the table. They currently sit bottom of the league and 6 points from safety with a far worse goal difference than any other team. Should they wish to mount an unlikely comeback to remain in the Premier League, they will have to be nearly perfect, starting with an essential result at Carrow Road today against Southampton.
The last time Norwich played at home, they produced one of their results of the season with a euphoric 1-0 win over Leicester. There are fewer positives nearly four months later. Although talismanic forward Temu Pukki has had time to address his toe injury, Daniel Farke confirmed the brutal news that defenders Grant Hanley, Christoph Zimmermann and Sam Byram will all be out of action for the remainder of the season, a major issue that prompted the understatement of the year from Farke yesterday: “The long break didn’t help too much.” No, really?
Shane Long will likely be absent with a lingering back injury for the away side, but Southampton are certainly one of the teams that may feel that mid-season break did help in some ways. Although they sit in 14th, Southampton are not safe. Going into lockdown, they had been on a concerning downward spiral that could have seen them sucked closer to the relegation battle with four defeats in their previous five league games. When it is their turn to host an empty stadium, they are also one of the few teams whose home record will surely not be negatively affected by the difference - after all, they already hold the worst home record in the league.
One thing is certain today - this will be another surreal afternoon in the Premier League as both players and onlookers continue to adjust to the sight of these familiar teams in unfamiliar, crowd-less situations. Let’s hope that nobody achieves the impressive distinction of performing as badly as David Luiz in the last game.
