Norwich produced an outstanding display of attacking football to
despatch a spirited Brighton side at fortress Carrow Road.
In a pulsating first half, goals from Grant Holt and Man of the Match
Wes Hoolahan, gave the Canaries a comfortable half-time lead.
Albion briefly threatened to spoil the party with James Tunnicliffe’s
61st minute goal, but the uncertainty lasted just seven minutes before an own goal
from Tommy Elphick restored City’s advantage. Chris Martin sealed the
three points with City’s fourth goal eight minutes from time.
Paul Lambert made no changes to the side that came back from
Southampton with a well deserved 2-2 draw.
For Brighton, smarting from a 4-0 home drubbing on Saturday by
the League Leaders, Glenn Murray was joined up front by Liam Dickinson,
who had missed the Leeds game.
The visitors kicked off towards a packed and noisy Barclay End, but it
was the Canaries first on the offensive, winning a second minute corner.
Although the Seagull’s cleared Lappin’s delivery, it was a very short
reprieve for City immediately came back to take a third minute
lead.
A long up-field ball from Jens Berthel Askou, was not dealt with by
Brighton’s defence and Grant Holt took control of it. He drifted
outside their right-back Andy Whing, before placing an exquisite chip
over Graeme Smith from an acute angle
Brighton should have equalised in the 8th minute, when Dickinson was
clean through with just Fraser Forster to beat. However, although he
wrong footed the City keeper, he blasted his shot wide.
Then Korey Smith latched onto a through ball, testing Graeme Smith with a
shot from just inside the area, which the keeper saved low to his right.
In the 14th minute Gary Doherty was booked for a challenge on Murray,
but a powerful header by Jon Ostemobor cleared the resulting free-kick.
Holt was clearly blocked just outside the visitors' area by Andy
Whing/ The referee disagreed, but it mattered not, because from
the loose ball Wes Hoolahan, who had already been tormenting the
opposition, beat Smith to his left with a low shot with the outside of his left foot.
Referee, Keith Hill then incurred the wrath of the Barclay twice
within a minute. Firstly he gave a free-kick against a bemused Berthel
Askou, then saw nothing wrong as Holt was being fouled in his own area
as he defended the free-kick.
The game then exploded with everyone except the Albion keeper,
involved in a rugby-type scrum when Dean Cox scythed down Darel Russell,
with a late tackle after the City midfielder had cleared the ball from the edge of his
own area. Mr Hill consulted both his Assistants, before booking Andrew Crofts
as well as Cox and Russell.
In the 36th minute the referee harshly ruled out Holt’s headed goal
for a push on Tunnicliffe, after Korey Smith had picked out City's top scorer
with glorious right-wing cross.
Trailing 2-0, Brighton tried hard to get back into the game. Murray got goal
side of Doherty, but fired into the side netting.
In the closing stages of the half there was another bizarre display
of refereeing from Mr Hill. Within the space of a minute he saw nothing wrong
with a challenge on Martin; did not think Ostemobor had fairly tackled Bennett
and then ignored a more blatant pull back on Hoolahan!
HALF-TIME: City 2 Albion 0
Gus Poyet made a change before the second half kicked off, replacing
Cox on the right wing, with Kevin McLeod.
There was an ironic cheer for the referee, when he awarded a free kick
when Holt was held back yet again! From the free-kick City won a
corner, but Lappin’s wind-assisted delivery drifted over everybody!
Holt got behind the Albion defence from Hoolahan’s pinpoint pass,
but couldn’t lift his shot over the keeper, who again recued Brighton.
In the 61st minute and for the first time in the game the home defence
allowed Brighton too much time in their area. From Bennett’s cross back
into the area, Tunnicliffe put his right foot shot past the exposed
Forster.
Buoyed by that goal, Albion forced City back, winning a 63rd minute
corner. But the alert Forster bravely caught the delivery at his near
post.
However, Brighton’s fight-back was shortlived because City restored
their two-goal advantage within seven minutes. From Lappin’s perfectly
executed free-kick on the right, defender Tommy Elphick headed
into his own net when under pressure frm Holt and Berthel Askou.
With 20 minutes remaining Lambert made his first change of the
evening, bringing on the fresh legs of Stephen Hughes, for the
impressive Smith, who deservedly received a standing ovation.
It looked as if Cody McDonald was about to replace Martin, when
the Beccles-born striker scored City’s fourth goal of the night
and his tenth of the season. From just outside the Albion area, he
latched onto Hoolahan’s through ball and put the ball past Smith’s
out-stretched dive to his right with a low right foot shot from twenty
yards
McDonald did come on, but for Holt, who also deserved the
standing ovation he received This was followed by further substitutions
with Craig Davies replacing Murray and Gavin Hoyte coming on for
Whing. While for the home side, Adeyemi replaced the hard-working Russell.
As the game entered the 90th minute City won their seventh corner. It
was played short before Ostemobor cut it back to Adeyemi, but the 18
year-old put his snap shot over the bar.
City played out the four minutes of added on time, in Albion’s half, in
search of another goal!
FULL-TIME: Norwich 4 Brighton1
LINE-UPS:
City:
Forster, Ostemobor, Drury, Holt © (McDonald 83), Doherty, Hoolahan,
Martin, Lappin, Russell (Adeyemi 85), Smith (Hughes 71), Berthel Askou
Unused Substitutes:
Theoklitos (GK), Nelson, McVeigh, Dawkin
Albion:
Smith (GK), Whing (Hoyte 86), Elphick, El-Abd, Cox (McLeod 46),
Dickinson, Tunnicliffe, Murray (Davies 85), Dicker, Crofts ©, Bennett
Unused Substitutes:
Pelling (GK), Navarro, Hart, Virgo.
GOALS:
City: Holt (3), Hoolahan (22), Elphick OG (68), Martin (82)
Albion: Tunnicliffe (61)
BOOKINGS:
City: Doherty (14), Russell (28)
Albion: Cox (28), Crofts (28), Murray (58), El-Abd (89)
REFEREE: Mr K Hill