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Norwich City: What It Means
They weren’t the most convincing in the opening 45 minutes, but the second half was where they really shone, taking full advantage of a poor performance from a relegation rival.
Having only scored 10 goals in 21 games before this one, getting three on the scoresheet could do wonders for their confidence, and with two wins in a row, perhaps the great escape could still be on for Dean Smith and his side.
Watford: What It Means
After a first half in which they dominated possession, they had a very poor second 45 minutes that saw them concede three goals in the end.
To cap off the disappointing showing, star player Emmanuel Dennis was sent off with two yellow cards, meaning he’ll serve a one match ban at a time when they may need him most.
All the best photos
The key stats from the game
Shots: 11-5
On Target: 4-2
Possession: 68%-32%
Corners: 5-1
Fouls: 16-11
Saves: 0-4
Yellow Cards: 1-1
Red Cards: 1-0
A memorable night for the American
On fire tonight! 🔥#NCFC | #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/Krm9jHQG3d — Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 21, 2022
Match Summary
While it was by no means a particularly poor first half, it didn’t have a whole lot of clear-cut chances, and it was a game with no goals as the teams went in for half time.
That changed almost immediately in the second half, as six minutes after the interval Josh Sargent put his side ahead with an absolutely sublime scorpion kick from a Teemu Pukki cross.
A bizarre floodlights delay didn’t put the visitors off, and Josh Sargent got his second soon after, before a Kucka own goal finished off the hosts entirely.
𝗕𝗜𝗚 result! 👏#NCFC | #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/SSeiyJveah
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 21, 2022
Player of the Match: Josh Sargent
It was his first goal that showed by far the most skill though, as he put the ball into the net with an audacious scorpion kick, meaning he has to be the player of the match this evening.
FULL TIME: Watford 0-3 Norwich City
It was a slightly underwhelming first half, as although both teams were very much up for the game, there was a lack of genuine attacking threat, with the sides going in goalless at the break.
The second half brought a quick start, with Josh Sargent’s wonderful scorpion kick, before the American got a second a little later on, and a Kucka own goal in injury time rounded off a terrible night for the hosts.
90+15: Watford 0-3 Norwich City
90+12: Watford 0-3 Norwich City
90+8: Watford 0-3 Norwich City
It would've been a consolation, but a spectacular one at that.
90+7: Watford 0-3 Norwich City
Just before we went into injury time the home fans might have thought they were back in the game, before the linesman ruled out Sissoko's goal.
Then, after an Idah cutback, Kucka tapped the ball into his own net, completely ending any hopes of a comeback for the home side.
GOAL!: Watford 0-3 Norwich City
It's a neat move from Norwich as Idah cuts the ball back and the ball is turned into his own net by Kucka.
A terrible scoreline for the hosts.
90+1: Watford 0-2 Norwich City
Settle in.
90: Watford 0-2 Norwich City
89: Watford 0-2 Norwich City
There should be a fair amount of time left though, so there is still a chance, even if it is minimal.
86: Watford 0-2 Norwich City
84: Watford 0-2 Norwich City
82: Watford 0-2 Norwich City
Miscommunication between defenders and the goalkeeper let King get his head on the ball which has to be cleared off the line, before Gunn makes a strong save moments later.
80: Watford 0-2 Norwich City
There's a quick VAR check for a penalty, but nothing doing and the game continues.
78: Watford 0-2 Norwich City
He receives a second yellow card after a cynical challenge on Max Aarons and this is turning into an absolute dreadful night for the hosts.
77: Watford 0-2 Norwich City
GOAL!: Watford 0-2 Norwich City
Rashica sends the ball into Josh Sargent and the attacker heads the ball home emphatically, giving the visitors an absolutely huge two goal cushion.
That could be a massive goal in the context of the season, though there is still time to go yet.
72: Watford 0-1 Norwich City
Looking forward to the additional time here...
69: Watford 0-1 Norwich City
Just to be clear, the pitch is still bathed in light with plenty of other floodlights still on, so it does seem odd that the players can't just carry on here.
64: Watford 0-1 Norwich City
64: Watford 0-1 Norwich City
The players are still out on the pitch for now though.
61: Watford 0-1 Norwich City
'We're Norwich City, we'll play in the dark' is the cry from the away end.
59: Watford 0-1 Norwich City
They have just made a change though, as Hernandez comes on for Cleverley, so perhaps he can make a difference.
55: Watford 0-1 Norwich City
It's an absolutely beautiful finish.
GOAL!: Watford 0-1 Norwich City
Pukki wins the ball back from Samir and crosses into Josh Sargent who flicks the ball towards the goal with an absolutely incredible scorpion kick finish!
After a quick VAR check, the goal is given and Norwich have the lead!
50: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
47: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
46: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
Positive moments for both sides in the first half
Looking to create something ...@DeJesusofiicial 🇧🇷💫#WATNOR pic.twitter.com/Lvo6t9okgC — Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) January 21, 2022
Fast start by City, let's keep it up! 👊#NCFC | #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/RlPFrQzcMo
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 21, 2022
The statistics so far
Shots: 5-1
On Target: 2-0
Possession: 70%-30%
Corners: 3-0
Fouls: 10-6
Saves: 0-2
Yellow Cards: 1-1
HALF TIME: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
There might not have been any goals thus far, primarily due to a lack of obvious chances, but if that one at the end is anything to go by, then we could be in for a great second half.
45+2: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
45+2: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
45: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
43: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
They'll continue to push though, no doubt.
40: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
37: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
34: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
32: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
Angus Gunn catches with ease though.
30: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
That's more promising from the Hornets though.
28: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
24: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
21: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
20: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
Unfortunately for the home team, the delivery is poor and it's cleared by the first man.
19: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
16: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
12: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
11: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
There needs to be a little more cohesion going forwards for both sides.
8: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
5: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
2: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
The resulting free kick from Rashica hits the wall but this has been a promising start from the visitors.
KICK-OFF: Watford 0-0 Norwich City
Teams emerging from the tunnel
The final preparations
👌 Finishing touches - we're under way shortly!#NCFC | #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/toIlHgnkFl — Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 21, 2022
Not long until kick-off
Stay right here for all the latest updates right throughout the game when it gets underway shortly!
A big game for this man
Go well tonight, @AngusGunn01! 🧤#NCFC | #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/n3v6ePBGwP — Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 21, 2022
The state of play
16th: Everton - 19 points (Played 19)
17th: Watford - 14 points (Played 19)
18th: Norwich City - 13 points (Played 21)
19th: Newcastle - 12 points (Played 20)
20th: Burnley - 11 points (Played 17)
Norwich City Starting XI
Yep that’s okay with me. Let’s gooooo pic.twitter.com/XRdJPS8jhN
— Jack 🔰 (@TotallyTettey) January 21, 2022
Points to prove for Angus, but also important match for Adam and Jacob to show that why they can keep their place in the team, COME ON NORWICH!!!
— David Lee Chi Kin (XXL16) (@XXL16) January 21, 2022
Gunn’s birthday tomorrow, gut feeling tells me today will be a special birthday present! Come on lad!
— DAYS SINCE PESSI LAST SCORED A GOAL (@OverratedPessi) January 21, 2022
Watford Fans' Reaction
— Aaron 🟡 (@aaron_bennis10) January 21, 2022
Waiting for a hat trick 🤗 pic.twitter.com/Ca5lJV36si
— mahmoud 🇵🇸 (@mahmoud40996737) January 21, 2022
KABAAAAAA pic.twitter.com/3OgfHo7mxf
— Henry 🐝 (@WFCHenry) January 21, 2022
And on a slightly unrelated note...
— CLINICALFPL (@CLINICALFPL) January 21, 2022
Remembering a Watford legend
Always in our hearts 💛
There's only one Graham Taylor 🙌#ThankYouGT #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/XklmuLdJH6 — Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) January 21, 2022
Backup keepers in the limelight
For Watford, it's unclear why Ben Foster is out again, after returning from injury last weekend, but they will have Daniel Bachmann between the sticks instead.
Meanwhile, for Dean Smith's side, Tim Krul's injury against Everton just under a week ago means backup choice Angus Gunn is in net for the away team.
Norwich City Starting XI
🚨 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 21, 2022
▪️ Gunn replaces injured Krul
▪️ McGovern on the bench
▪️ McLean back and among subs#NCFC | #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/r7hKS5FvvT
Watford Starting XI
🚨 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) January 21, 2022
Here's how your Hornets line up against Norwich City this evening! #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/4Vr6Ozzi4d
The venue for tonight
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Tune in here for Watford vs Norwich City
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What time does the game kick-off across the world?
South Africa: 10:00 PM
Australia (Sydney): 7:00 AM
Japan: 5:00 AM
USA (New York): 3:00 PM
Working towards #WATNOR 🔋 pic.twitter.com/7AvfQQSwzL
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) January 19, 2022
What time does the game kick-off?
The game itself gets underway at 8:00 PM however, and you can get all the latest updates by sticking with this live page during the match.
Watford vs Norwich City Prediction
As such, I would expect a relatively tight game between two clubs who know a loss could be devastating to their hopes of remaining in the top flight come the end of he season.
That said, with shaky defences shown by each throughout this campaign, a high-scoring match seems possible too, so I'm going with a 2-2 draw in this one.
Latest games between Watford and Norwich City
Looking at recent results, it has been perhaps surprisingly one-sided, with Watford unbeaten in this fixture since May 2016, with five wins on the bounce in that time.
In the reverse fixture earlier in the season, it was a 3-1 victory for the Hornets at Carrow Road which included goals from a certain Emmanuel Dennis, as well as the aforementioned Teemu Pukki too.
Key Player from Norwich City - Teemu Pukki
The Finnish striker has a more modest five goals this campaign, with just a single assist, but it's still more direct goal contributions than any other player at the club.
As such, he's the player to look out for from the visitors in this one, and could play a part in adding to Dean Smith's side's hopes of staying up this year.
Key Player from Watford - Emmanuel Dennis
The Nigerian has scored eight goals and picked up five assists in all competitions since making the move from Club Brugge to Hertfordshire last summer.
There was some controversy over Watford's refusal to let him play for his country at AFCON, as they pointed to an administrative error from the national team, but either way he appears crucial for them in their relegation fight.
Probable line-ups of Norwich City
- Both Andrew Omobamidele and Lukas Rupp are still out, but are likely to return for the next game against Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Goalkeeper Tim Krul went down injured near the end in their last game and will miss this one
- Meanwhile Christoph Zimmermann will only be able to play 45 minutes for the U23s on Friday, rather than make the senior squad
Predicted XI
Gunn; Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Williams; Lees-Melou, Sorensen; Sargent, Idah, Rashica; Pukki
Probable line-ups of Watford
- The Hornets have three players at the AFCON in Imran Louza, Adam Masina and William Troost-Ekong
- Long-term absentee Ismaila Sarr will also be unavailable for this game
- Nicolas Nkoulou is still working on a hamstring injury rehab programme
Predicted XI
Foster; Femenia, Cathcart, Sierralta, Ngakia; Sissoko, Kucka, Kayembe; Dennis, King, Pedro
Who is the referee and his assistants?
On fourth official duties will be Peter Bankes, while it's set to be John Brooks in the VAR booth, alongside James Mainwaring.
Norwich City: A glimmer of hope
That said, it is a fractionally more optimistic situation than a couple of months ago, when they sat rock bottom seemingly without any hope of escaping relegation.
A win against Everton last weekend has given the Canaries something to cling onto, but Dean Smith's side will need a huge effort in the remainder of the season if they are to stay up.
Watford: Poor form continues
But then, looking at the table, it's clear that even despite the change in manager fairly early on (recruiting Claudio Ranieri), they are still struggling near the bottom, perilously close to the relegation zone.
In fact, the Hornets are one of a few teams who just seem unable to climb out of that slippery slope, especially given they are without a win since that victory over the Red Devils back in November heading into this game.

The match will be played at Vicarage Road
It's one of the oldest stadiums in the country, being opened all the way back in August 1922 - meaning its 100th anniversary is coming up in just a few months' time.

Thanks for joining me tonight, I’ve been Noah Robson and I’ll hopefully see you again soon here on VAVEL!