Match report: Norwich City 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Paul MacInnes was at Carrow Road for the Guardian and this is how he saw events unfold.
Teemu Pukki speaks: “We are in a moment where we need to win games, so obviously we can’t be totally happy with this,” he tells Sky Sports. “But against a top team we took a point ... but because we were leading it feels like a bad result. We’ve been playing quite well lately and we haven’t been getting the results. To get a point is a good start.”
Speaking alongside Pukki, Mario Vrancic says he doesn’t think his team-mates second “goal”, which he created, was offside. He does, however, concede that he hasn’t seen a replay. He’s going to be properly hacked off when he does.
A brief recap: Mario Vrancic opened the scoring for Norwich in the 18th minute with his first Premier League goal and Norwich fans thought Teemu Pukki had doubled their lead shortly after the half hour, only for the Finn to have his effort ruled out by the spods in the VAR bunker who got out their rulers and revealed he’d been a millimetre offside in the build-up.
Tottenham equalised 10 minutes into the second half, thanks to a splendid free-kick from Christian Eriksen that took a deflection on its way past Tim Krul. Against the run of play, Norwich restored their lead courtesy of a comedy own goal from Serge Aurier, prompting a late siege on Norwich’s goal that ended when Harry Kane won and scored a penalty on an otherwise quiet evening for him.
Full time: Norwich City 2-2 Tottenham
Peep! Peep! Peep! It’s all over at Carrow Road, where the sides have shared the points. One suspects both will feel aggrieved at not having won a game that was often entertaining and sometimes controversial, but a draw was probably a fair result overall.
90+7 min: Christian Eriksen’s delivery is poor and Norwich clear.
90+7 min: Serge Aurier wins a corner for Tottenham.
90+5 min: Christian Eriksen is booked for a foul on a Kenny McLean that looked more accidental than malicious.
90+3 min: Toby Alderweireld is booked for a foul on Todd Cantwell, who had turned him and was about to leave the Tottenham defender in his dust.
90+1 min: the ball runs out for a Tottenham Hotspur goal kick despite the best attempts of Todd Cantwell to keep Max Aarons’s through ball.
89 min: Onel Hernandez and Erik Lamela become entangled over by the far touchline near the technical areas as they tussle for the ball. We’ll have seven minutes of added time, to account for six substitutions and that lengthy period of treatment for Mario Vrancic.
87 min: Tanguy Ndombele picks out Lamela on the edge of the penalty area and his dipping drive gives Tim Krul plenty to think about. He saves a mite unconvincingly and puts the ball out for a corner. Nothing comes from the set piece as we enter the game’s knockings with both sides looking for a winner.
86 min: A brave call from Daniel Farke, who takes off holding midfielder Alex Tettey and replaces him with the more attack minded Todd Cantwell.
84 min: Dele Alli tries to pick out Kane with a deft chip from just inside the Norwich penalty area. Goal kick.
GOAL! Norwich City 2-2 Tottenham (Kane 82pen)
Harry Kane equalises for Spurs, with only his second opportunity of the game. Krul dives to his right and Kane puts the ball to his left. It’s all square at Carrow Road after a five-minute period in which Norwich’s defence was seriously under siege.
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PENALTY FOR SPURS!
80 min: Harry Kane wins a penalty, cleverly going down under a challenge from Christoph Zimmermann. It wasn’t a dive, but he knew it was coming and went down accordingly.
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79 min: Dele Alli stretches to prod home a ball across the face of the goal from Harry Kane. He can’t reach.
78 min: Tottenham win a corner, which they take with some urgency. Nothing comes of it.
78 min: Jamal Lewis does well to dispossess Erik Lamela with the Tottenham substitute on the ball in a dangerous area just outside the Norwich penalty area.
76 min: Tottenham win a free-kick just inside their own half, which they take quickly. Moura takes the ball forward and passes to Eriksen on the edge of the area, only for the Dane to lose it.
Tottenham substitution: Erik Lamela replaces Giovani Lo Celso.
Norwich substitution: Mario Vrancic is replaced by Tom Trybull.
74 min: Davinson Sanchez rolls the ball straight out of play for a Norwich City throw-in.
73 min: Tim Krul comfortably deals with a long range effort from Christian Eriksen.
70 min: Norwich substitution: Marco Stiepermann makes way for Kenny McLean.
69 min: Lucas Moura is given a booking for shoving Max Aarons off the pitch and perilously close to the advertising hoardings as the full-back sprinted up the right flank with the ball at his feet.
67 min: Far be it from me to tempt fate and incur the wrath of Norwich City fans, but Harry Kane has had a very quiet game for Spurs tonight. So far.
65 min: Tim Krul is untroubled by a Giovani Lo Celso shot from distance, gathering it comfortably.
62 min: Tottenham’s defending has been little short of atrocious at times today and once again they are punished. With his team having been opened up on the counter by a fine Norwich move, Toby Alderweireld attempts to intercept a poor effort on goal from Teemu Pukki, only to see his interception cannon off the shins of Aurier and into the back of the net past the hopelessly wrong-footed Gazzaniga.
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GOAL! Norwich City 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Aurier 61og)
Norwich go back in front with a slapstick own goal from Serge Aurier!
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60 min: Norwich break forward with Jamal Lewis on the ball and he picks out Onel Hernandez in the penalty area. With Sege Aurier all over the place in defence, Hernandez pulls the ball back to Pukki, who gets it caught under his feet.
58 min: Dele Alli lifts the ball over Krul and into the Norwich goal to round off a fine passing move from Tottenham, but is correctly flagged for offside as he darted to latch on to Giovani Lo Celso’s lofted pass to the edge of the six-yard box.
57 min: Scandalously, by the way, Mario Vrancic has been allowed to play on despite shipping that blow to the head that left him looking very groggy indeed just a few minutes ago,
GOAL! Norwich City 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Eriksen 55)
The sides are level! Straight in front of goal just outside the Norwich City penalty area, Christian Eriksen sends his free-kick over the wall and into the top right-hand corner. It was a sublime free-kick, which I think took a deflection off Alex Tettey in the defensive wall on its way past Tim Krul.
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53 min: Jamal Lewis uses an arm to deflect the ball away from Harry Kane as he tried to control a pass from Moura on the edge of the Norwich penalty area. Tottenham’s players appeal for a red card, claiming he’s denied their skipper a clear goalscoring opportunity. They have to settle for a free-kick, from which Christian Eriksen scores.
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52 min: Vrancic walks to the side of the pitch in the company of two medical staff and takes a swig from a water-bottle. He can’t conceivably be going to continue? This being football, of course he can. Here’s hoping the Norwich backroom staff see sense.
51 min: Looking very dazed, Vrancic gets to his feet as the Norwich medical staff continue to assess him.
50 min: Norwich goalscorer Mario Vrancic seems to have taken a bad blow to the head in that collision with Lo Celso and continues to receive treatment.
49 min: A collision between Lo Celso and Vrancic leaves both men flat on their backs on the ground and in need of treatment. Tottenham have gone to a back four in this second half , having switched from the back three that served them so poorly in the first.
48 min: Zimmermann receives treatment after that goal-saving tackle, having hurt his neck in its execution. He leaves the field and then comes back on after the medics have assessed his injury.
47 min: A brilliant covering tackle from Christoph Zimmermann puts a stop to Dele Alli’s gallop as the Spurs midfielder was about to pull the trigger after being put through on goal by Christian Eriksen.
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Second half: Norwich City 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
46 min: Play resumes and Jose Mourinho has made two changes at half-time. Lucas Moura and Davinson Sanchez come on for the hapless first half duo that were Juan Foyth and Jan Vertonghen.
VAR rules out Pukki’s goal for offside 👀 pic.twitter.com/2mPOIE0HX3
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) December 28, 2019
Look at the shadows from the floodlights for that disallowed Pukki goal. No way it’s offside. @premierleague has lost the plot and the game is going to shit. Might want to rethink it if people desert the game in droves because of this nonsense. Ridiculous
— Luke Aaron Moore (@lukeaaronmoore) December 28, 2019
Half-time: Norwich City 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Peep! Norwich City go in for their half-time rest a goal to the good, thanks to Mario Vrancic’s first Premier League strike. They’ll feel aggrieved that Teemu Pukki had one chalked off, the Finnish striker joining Crystal Palace’s Max Meyer and Brighton’s Dan Burn in having goals ruled out today by VAR due to ridiculously tight offside calls.
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45+1 min: Tim Krul sends a clearance long and Tottenham win a throw-in as the clock ticks down towards half-time.
45 min: Ryan Sessegnon pings the ball into the Norwich City box, where Tim Krul gathers.
44 min: Norwich win a throw0in deep in their opponents’ half after a period of sustained Spurs pressure. However, a foul on Dele Alli allows Tottenham to clear their lines.
42 min: “The message from the VAR hub is that Pukki was offside in the build-up and that’s why it was ruled out,” says the Sky commentary team. They’re really just making this up as they go along, aren’t they?
VAR now officially making a mockery of the natural movements, ebb and flow of the game. AND NOW THEY'RE MAKING IT UP. If that was about Pukki's original position, why all the squiggly lines when he gets the ball? #VARoutman #COYS
— Danny Kelly (@dannykellywords) December 28, 2019
A let-off for Spurs but does any football fan want to see a goal ruled out for this? pic.twitter.com/m8kerkUKlj
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) December 28, 2019
That goal should have been allowed for the quality of Tottenham's defending. It also stopped a Jose double-subbing at 35 minutes. Denied a spin of the greatest hits by the curse of VAR.
— John Brewin (@JohnBrewin_) December 28, 2019
38 min: Pukki came back from an offside position into an onside position before picking up a pass from Vrancic and taking advantage from some atrocious defending by Alderweireld to control the ball and slot coolly past Gazzaniga. Does that still count as offside? Like many others, including Daniel Farke who is seeking clarification from the fourth official, I no longer have the foggiest idea.
VAR CHECK! Pukki's goal is ruled out
Teemu Pukki’s goal is ruled out as he becomes the third Premier League player today to have a goal ruled out for one of those ridiculous offsides that involves the Fun Police in VAR HQ getting out their magnifying glasses, set squares and rulers to establish that he was fractionally offside when making his run to latch on to a cross from Vrancic. What a farce!
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GOAL! Norwich City 2-0 Tottenham (Pukki 33)
Teemu Pukki doubles Norwich’s lead. Comedy defending from Alderweireld allows Norwich’s star striker to extend their lead.
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32 min: The ball’s swung into the mixer from the set piece and Grant Hanley leaps to head it goalwards. His effort goes out off the shoulder of Alderweireld, who had jumped with him, but Kevin Friend awards a goal kick.
31 min: Juan Foyth puts a Stiepermann cross out for a corner, despite the best attempts of Alderweireld to prevent it from going out of play.
30 min: Alex Tettey spots a run into the Tottenham penalty area from Emi Buendia and tries to ping the ball into his path from deep. His pass is slightly wayward, making it easy for Gazzaniga to claim.
28 min: Onel Hernandez picks the ball up on the left flank, cuts inside, beats Juan Foyth and tries to curl the ball inside the far post from the edge of the penalty area. His intentions were good, but his execution left a lot to be desired. Wide as a ditch.
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27 min: The ball remains in play for about three minutes without either goal coming under threat.
24 min: Norwich City’s energetic pressing has been very impressive thus far, forcing Tottenham’s players into mistakes on the ball. Will they be able to keep it up for 90 minutes? Only time will tell, but their doggedness has earned them a one-goal lead so far.
22 min: With players up in support as he charged goalwards with the ball at his feet, Vrancic was allowed to advance on the Spurs goal before opening the scoring for his team. Methinks Tottenham’s players were distracted by having to keep tabs on his Pukki and Buendia who were up in support on Vrancic’s left
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21 min: Vrancic is booked for a scything tackle on Ndombele.
20 min: Foyth stepped out with the ball and was caught in possession halfway inside his own half. Vrancic galloped goalwards and elected to shoot rather than lay the ball off to Teemu Pukki, who was up in support. The finish was measured and cool, aimed towards the bottom corner from about 15 yards.
GOAL! Norwich CIty 1-0 Tottenham (Vrancic 18)
Norwich lead! A mistake by Juan Foyth allows Mario Vrancic to score his first Premier League goal on only his second Premier League start.
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17 min: Grant Hanley gives the ball away, allowing Christian Eriksen to square the ball across the face of the Tottenham penalty area. Dele Alli’s shot is blocked.
16 min: A long ball from Alderweireld is pounced on by Harry Kane, who had sprinted between Grant Hanley and Zimmermann. He shoots goalwards, but is foiled by a good save from Tim Krul.
15 min: Buendia swings the ball into the mixer and Ryan Sessegnon puts it out for a corner. Eriksen sends the ensuing inswinger out for another corner, which is sent straight into the arms of Gazzaniga.
14 min: Juan Foyth gives way a free-kick out by the left touchline, in line with the edge of the Tottenham penalty area.
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13 min: With almost a quarter of an hour on the clock, both teams have missed gilt-edged opportunities to take the lead. It’s an error-strewn but entertaining game.
11 min: Harry Kane tees up Dele Alli with a pass across the edge of the Norwich penalty area following a mistake from Christoph Zimmermann. The in-form Alli squanders a golden opportunity, sending his effort high over the bar.
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10 min: A mix-up between Ndombele and Christian Eriksen gifts possession to Marco Stiepermann about 30 yards from the Tottenham goal. He runs at Alderweireld and unleashes a drive that Gazzaniga does very well to put around his post for a corner. With a low more composure, Stiepermann should have scored.
9 min: Grant Hanley hacks clear for a Tottenham throw-in, after intercepting a Dele Alli pass that looked to be on its way to Harry Kane.
7 min: Jamal Lewis fins himself a few yards outside the Tottenham penalty area about 30 yards from goal. He takes aim and unleashes a low left-footed drive, but his dipping effort fizzes well wide of the right upright.
6 min: Hernandez and Jamal Lewis combine down the left, but Giovani Lo Celso wins the ball from the latter and larrups it forward.
4 min: Onel Hernandez sprints between two Tottenham defenders trying to get on the end of a Mariuo Vrancic pass from deep. There’s too much welly on the pass and Gazzaniga is quick off his line to come and claim the ball at the edge of his penalty area.
3 min: Tim Krul rolls the ball out to Max Aarons, who plays it forward to Christoph Zimmermann. He loses possession in midfield. Scrappy stuff in these very early stages.
2 min: There’s a couple of early throw-ins around the halfway line as both sides feel each other out.
1 min: Paulo Gazzaniga gets an early touch as Toby Alderweireld plays the ball back to him. He plays the ball forward and Norwich take possession.
Norwich City v Tottenham is go ...
1 min: Tottenham get the ball rolling on Kevin Friend’s signal and we’re off and running at Carrow Road.
A minute’s applause There’s a moment to remember World Cup winner Martin Peters, who played for both these sides and died on the 21 December. May he rest in peace.
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Not long now: The teams are out on the pitch and kick-off is just a couple of minutes away. Norwich City’s players wear their usual home kit of canary yellow and green shirts, green shorts and yellow socks. The visiting side wear navy shirts, shorts and socks.
Correction: Tim Krul has not been injured in the warm-up. It was Ralf Fahrmann who hurt his knee and he is replaced on the bench by Michael McGovern. Tim Krul starts.
There’s also been a pitchside proposal: With the Sky cameras looking on, a Norwich fan proposes to his girlfriend, who says ... yes. He puts a ring on her finger, gives her a kiss and a hug. How jolly.
Tim Krul has been injured in the warm-up: Norwich City’s goalkeeper has done himself a mischief and will be replaced by his German understudy Ralph Fahrmann. Michael McGovern, a 35-year-old Northern Ireland international will take Fahrmann’s place on the bench.
Daniel Farke speaks: “We have to beat the top of our game without any doubt,” he says. “We need to stop the quality in their side and need a very good all around performance today.”
Jose Mourinho speaks: “We are grateful that he wanted to play and he is ready to help the team,” he says of Tanguy Ndombele, in a pre-match interview with Sky Sports. “Maybe not for 90 minutes, but he is ready to play.”
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Fun festive fact: In Giovani Lo Celso, Ryan Sessegnon, Dele Alli, Juan Foyth, Paulo Gazzaniga, Christian Eriksen and Serge Aurier, Tottenham line up with players wearing the shirt numbers 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24.
Both managers make four changes: Jamal Lewis, Mario Vrancic, Onel Hernandez and Marco Stiepermann come in for Norwich, while Juan Foyth, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Christian Eriksen start for Tottenham.
Norwich City v Tottenham line-ups
Norwich: Krul, Aarons, Zimmermann, Hanley, Lewis, Tettey, Vrancic, Emi, Stiepermann, Hernandez, Pukki.
Subs: Byram, Cantwell, Trybull, Fahrmann, McLean, Amadou, Srbeny.
Tottenham Hotspur: Gazzaniga, Aurier, Foyth, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Ndombele, Lo Celso, Eriksen, Alli, Sessegnon, Kane.
Subs: Sanchez, Lamela, Vorm, Dier, Lucas Moura, Skipp, Tanganga.
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)
Tottenham team news: Tanguy Ndombele, Juan Foyth, Giovani Lo Celso and Christian Eriksen all start. We’ll have full line-ups very shortly.
Early team news
For Norwich, Timm Klose, Josip Drmic and Ben Godfrey are injured, while Daniel Farke is likely to rotate his squad following his team’s Boxing Day exertions. Onel Hernandez may start for the Canaries.
Hugo Lloris and Ben Davies remain sidelined for Tottenham, who will also be without Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko, who will sit this game out on the naughty step alongside Son Heung-min.
Having reported that Tanguy Ndombele opted not to make himself available for selection against Brighton despite being fit, it will be intriguing to see if Jose Mourinho includes the £55m midfielder in his squad today. Having come on as substitutes against Brighton, Christian Eriksen and Giovani Lo Selso could start today.
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Premier League: Norwich City v Tottenham Hotspur
Following an unconvincing Boxing Day victory over Brighton, Tottenham Hotspur travel to Carrow Road to take on a Norwich City side who lost against Aston Villa two days ago despite being the better team.
Bottom of the table and seven points from safety, Norwich are in dire need of points, while a win for Tottenham would send them fourth ahead of Chelsea, who play Arsenal tomorrow, on goal difference. Kick-off is at 5.30pm, but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
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