Norwich City 1-3 Blackburn Rovers: Pressure grows on Canaries boss David Wagner after another loss
Wagner #Wagner
Blackburn’s top scorer Sammie Szmodics took his tally to nine goals for the season after his close-range second at Carrow Road
Blackburn heaped more pressure on beleaguered Norwich City boss David Wagner with a comfortable 3-1 win at Carrow Road.
Tyrhys Dolan scored with Rovers’ first shot as he blasted in at the near post and Sammie Szmodics doubled the lead soon after as fans at Carrow Road jeered a Norwich side that looked bereft of any confidence.
Wagner, who succeeded Dean Smith as Norwich boss in January when the Canaries were fifth, saw his afternoon get worse when Szmodics finished off a great move from close range soon after the break.
Rovers’ Scott Wharton was sent off a minute later for denying a goalscoring opportunity but City could not find a way back into the game until stoppage time when Gabriel Sara converted Przemyslaw Placheta’s cross.
Having been three points off top spot in September, Norwich have dropped to 17th place in the Championship table and earned just one point from their last six games, making it their worst start to a season in the second tier since they ended up being relegated to League One in 2008.
Meanwhile, Rovers’ fourth win in five league games moves them up to 10th, three points off the play-off places.
Dolan’s early goal – after lovely control from Joe Rankin-Costello’s pass to set himself up – shattered what little, fragile, confidence the Canaries had.
Soon after the lead was doubled as Andrew Moran’s pass picked out Szmodics, who peeled off debutant defender Jaden Warner and coolly side-footed into the bottom corner.
Norwich showed some attacking glimpses as Hwang Ui-jo looked dangerous at times, but they were poor in transition as Szmodics and Callum Brittain missed chances on the break.
Hwang had Norwich’s first shot on target from the edge of the box after half an hour which garnered ironic cheers from the home crowd as Leopold Wahlstedt comfortably gathered it, while Marcelino Nunez headed straight at the Rovers keeper and Onel Hernandez fired just wide in the following few minutes.
David Wagner has guided to Norwich to 14 wins in his 39 games in charge, losing 18 times
Blackburn’s third goal showed all that was good about Rovers and bad about Norwich as Szmodics picked up the ball on the edge of his own area and ran unchallenged for half the length of the field before giving the ball to Dolan 25 yards out.
He drew in five Canaries defenders and lofted an excellent ball to the unmarked Rankin-Costello on the right, and his first-time low ball across the face of goal was converted by Rovers’ top scorer at the far post.
Norwich were given a glimmer of hope a minute later when Wharton was red-carded for denying a goalscoring opportunity after a defensive error saw Hernandez break through on goal and the centre-back dive in and trip the Cuban attacker.
Wagner made four changes straight away in a bid to get something from the game and they almost got a goal back when two of the substitutes – Placheta and Christian Fassnacht – combined as the latter saw a header from the former’ cross palmed away by Wahlstedt.
The extra man allowed Norwich to create a few more chances as Nunez fired wide while Gabriel Sara’s shot from the edge of the box was deflected over his own bar by Brittain but, for the most part, the hosts failed to trouble Rovers.
They finally found the net when Placheta – who was by far Norwich’s best attacking threat – got to the byline and set up Sara for his fourth goal in seven games, while Hwang’s shot from the edge of the area soon after was blocked by the goalkeeper before being cleared off the line.
Those fans that remained at Carrow Road on the final whistle made their unhappiness known as more questions over Wagner’s leadership were asked after an eighth loss in 10 games.
Line-upsNorwich
Formation 4-2-3-1
12Long
3Stacey50Warner24Duffy30Giannoulis
17Gomes Sara23McLean
27Rowe26Núñez25Hernández
31Hwang Ui-jo
Substitutes
Blackburn
Formation 4-4-2
12Wahlstedt
11Rankin-Costello4Hill16S Wharton3Pickering
2Brittain6Tronstad23A Wharton24Moran
10Dolan8Szmodics
Substitutes
Referee:Josh Smith
Attendance:25,696
Live Text
Match ends, Norwich City 1, Blackburn Rovers 3.
Second Half ends, Norwich City 1, Blackburn Rovers 3.
Attempt missed. Marcelino Núñez (Norwich City) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Jaden Warner.
Attempt saved. Hwang Ui-Jo (Norwich City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Lewis Travis (Blackburn Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Jaden Warner (Norwich City).
Sondre Tronstad (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Goal! Norwich City 1, Blackburn Rovers 3. Gabriel Sara (Norwich City) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Przemyslaw Placheta (Norwich City) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Kenny McLean.
Offside, Norwich City. Hwang Ui-Jo tries a through ball, but Christian Fassnacht is caught offside.
Corner, Blackburn Rovers. Conceded by Kenny McLean.
Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Jake Garrett replaces Adam Wharton.
Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Arnór Sigurdsson replaces Andrew Moran.
Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Harry Leonard replaces Sammie Szmodics.
Marcelino Núñez (Norwich City) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Gabriel Sara (Norwich City).
Sammie Szmodics (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Gabriel Sara (Norwich City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Hwang Ui-Jo.
Attempt saved. Gabriel Sara (Norwich City) left footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the right is saved in the bottom right corner.
Kellen Fisher (Norwich City) wins a free kick on the right wing.