Norwich City handed out a 4-0 drubbing to relegation threatened Bolton Wanderers as they returned to the top of the Sky Bet Championship table.
Daniel Farke made just one change to the side that lost at Preston on Wednesday night and it was an enforced one, with Kenny McLean coming in to replace the injured Alex Tettey.
Teemu Pukki notched his 22nd league goal of the season in just the 8th minute with a wonderful finish from a defence splitting pass by Marco Stiepermann.
The same Marco Stiepermann who had been an injury doubt prior to kick-off, scored a lovely second goal on 25 minutes when he powered home from a Pukki cut-back.
Then it was the turn of Emi Buendia, also an injury doubt, as Norwich completely dominated their hosts, who were at sixes and sevens as they were torn apart. Norwich repeatedly got in behind them and a peach of a cross found Buendia with only Remi Matthews to beat and no-one else anywhere near him. He finished acrobatically and the Canaries went into the break 3-0 up.
The second half was a quieter affair, goals wise, with just the one extra goal coming from Pukki again with a great long ball pass from Zimmermann. The ball over the top was brought down expertly by the flying Finn, who casually lobbed the advancing Matthews for his 23rd goal of the season.
Sheffield United also won 4-0, at home to Reading and with Leeds not playing this weekend, a win was vital here.
Norwich have 9 points from their last 12 available, which I’m sure we’d have all taken prior to facing Leeds United at Elland Road two weeks ago.
It speaks volumes that the biggest talking point from a Canary point of view was yet another missed penalty.
With the score at 4-0 in the 63rd minute, Pukki was hacked over by Mark Beevers and Kenny McLean stepped up to take the spot kick.
He subsequently fired his shot low at the centre of the goal and it was kept out by Matthews. Why on earth Teemu Pukki didn’t grab the ball and take it, especially being on a hat-trick at that point? No doubt that Daniel Farke had issued orders on the subject but even so, if I were Pukki I’d be grabbing that ball and taking it, wouldn’t you?!
That, my friends, is six missed penalties out of seven in a season.
That stat is unbelievable, just crazy, thank god it didn’t cost us here but in all seriousness, this is now a big problem. Who steps up next? Tim Krul?
Anyway, 4-0 and back to the top of the league we go. When you’ve been on a run as good as Norwich have lately and suffer a loss, it’s imperative that you get back on track as soon as possible, preferably in the next game with a win.
I know Bolton are struggling but even so, this was an impressive performance none the less and it gets us back on track.
OTBC