Yet again, Norwich snatched a late winner as Teemu Pukki scored in the 93rd minute to keep the Canaries on top of the Sky Bet Championship table and extend the gap to third place to six points.
It had all looked so comfortable as City took a 39th minute lead courtesy of the right foot of Mario Vrancic from outside the area and then the lead was doubled on 59 minutes by Marco Stiepermann from close range.
The problem was though that Bolton hadn’t read the script and weren’t ready to give it up just there.
Sammy Ameobi was the focal point of the Trotters’ attack and was able to pull one back just three minutes after that second goal after some sloppy defending allowed Andrew Taylor to hook the ball across goal. As the ball fell, it was fired past Tim Krul from close range by Ameobi and it was game on.
The visitors kept pushing and although City missed several other chances, it was Bolton who got the game’s fourth goal on 88 minutes. Norwich couldn’t clear their lines and the pressure told as pinball in the area after a close range Krul save led to a ball rolled across the six yard box to centre back, Mark Beevers who fired into the roof of the net from about six yards out.
This Norwich team do not know when they’re beaten though and with Jordan Rhodes having come on just prior to the equaliser, they now had another focal point. The fourth official signalled four minutes and with just two minutes left, Ameobi was shown a second yellow for pulling back Cantwell and given his marching orders.
To say he took his time walking off is an understatement. I’ve seen extras from the “Walking Dead” move quicker than that. As the referee looked on, he was taken to task by Krul, Vrancic and Zimmermann but clearly motioned that he was adding this time on.
Once the game resumed from the resulting free kick, Rhodes challenged for a high ball in the area and the ball fell kindly to Teemu Pukki who smashed a half volley past Ben Alnwick to win the game in the 93rd minute.
Breathless, ecstatic, unbridled joy. This is quite a ride.
Other than Leeds winning, other results went in our favour and we now have a six point gap to third place. I don’t know about you but I’m in dreamland over here!
OTBC
Carrow Road
Sky Bet Championship
8/12/2018 4:00 pm
Attendance: 25811
Referee: Scott Duncan
| Norwich City | Bolton Wanderers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vrancic 39', Stiepermann 59', Pukki 90+3' | Ameobi 63', Beevers 88' | ||||||
| Krul | Alnwick (c) | ||||||
| Aarons | Olkowski | 79' | |||||
| Zimmermann | Hobbs | ||||||
| Godfrey | Beevers | ||||||
| Lewis | Taylor | ||||||
| Vrancic | Williams | ||||||
| Tettey (c) | Lowe | ||||||
| Buendia | 83' | Noone | 60' | ||||
| Stiepermann | 87' | Ameobi | |||||
| Cantwell | Buckley | 71' | |||||
| Pukki | 90+7' | Doidge | |||||
Substitutes |
|||||||
| McGovern | Vela | ||||||
| Rhodes | 87' | Wilson | |||||
| Trybull | O'Neil | 79' | |||||
| Hernandez | 83' | Dyer | 60' | ||||
| Srbeny | 90+6' | Williams | |||||
| Marshall | Magennis | 71' | |||||
| - | Wheater | ||||||
Game Statistics |
||
| 21 | Goal attempts | 12 |
| 7 | On Target | 4 |
| 6 | Corners | 0 |
| 7 | Fouls | 13 |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 1 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 1 |
| 68 | % | 32 |