As It Happened: Norwich City pick up three huge points against Watford

That’s all for the live blog on this Friday evening match between Watford and Norwich City in the Premier League which saw the away side take all three points at Vicarage Road.

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

In total contrast to their opponents, this was a brilliant result for Norwich City as they finally escaped the relegation zone for the first time this season, albeit only two points above the drop.

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.

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For Watford, this was perhaps the worst case scenario that they could have imagined prior to this game getting underway, as they slipped down into the relegation zone.

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.

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Watford 0-3 Norwich City

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

On fire tonight! 🔥#NCFC | #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/Krm9jHQG3d — Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 21, 2022

Norwich City picked up what could potentially be a crucial three points against Watford at Vicarage Road in the Premier League, thanks to an excellent performance from Josh Sargent.

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

For a player who hadn’t scored a Premier League goal before tonight, you would never have known it watching his performance for Norwich City this evening as he scored a brace.

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.

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The referee blows the full time whistle, meaning it’s the away side who have come away with a huge win this evening in a potentially massive night at the bottom of the Premier League table.

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.

Norwich could have had a fourth there, but Idah couldn't quite control the ball, though in all honesty I'm not sure many Canaries' fans will be too concerned.

We're into three digits on the clock here, but really the game is all but over given the scoreline and the fact Watford are a man down too.

Not a bad effort whatsoever from Hernandez from very far out as his shot bounces off the crossbar.

It would've been a consolation, but a spectacular one at that.

What a difference a few minutes can make.

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.

There's the third goal and surely final blow to Watford!

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.

Meanwhile, we are now in for an astonishing 15 minutes of injury time here.

Settle in.

Sissoko volleys the ball home and for a second it seems like Watford are back in the game but the linesman's flag goes up almost instantly.

Claudio Ranieri will be hoping for a bit of a miracle here now, with his side a man down and injury time nearing.

There should be a fair amount of time left though, so there is still a chance, even if it is minimal.

A brilliant effort from Joao Pedro as he tries to curl a shot from the edge of the box but it skims the crossbar and Watford remain two goals behind.

Watford make another change as Kamara leaves the field in place of Ken Sema.

Almost calamitous from Norwich!

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.

Hanley gets up well to get his head on a corner but it goes wide of the target.

There's a quick VAR check for a penalty, but nothing doing and the game continues.

It's a red card for Emmanuel Dennis!

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.

Watford do still have time here, but they really need to get their act together here - they have been very poor, especially in this second half.

A second for Norwich and a second for Sargent!

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.

It seems as though the game will get back underway here as both teams appear to be happy for the game to continue with the slightly less light.

Looking forward to the additional time here...

As Gary Neville has just said on Sky Sports, the longer this delay is, the more farcical this seems to get.

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.

The lights seem to be blinking in and out here, much to the delight of the Norwich fans at the moment.

Still no restart of play here as word begins to come through of a loss of mains power at the stadium.

The players are still out on the pitch for now though.

A brief stoppage in play here as the floodlights temporarily blink in and out of action.

'We're Norwich City, we'll play in the dark' is the cry from the away end.

Watford, if anything, have simply just become more frustrated by that goal, rather than looking more likely to score.

They have just made a change though, as Hernandez comes on for Cleverley, so perhaps he can make a difference.

The beauty of that goal was undoubtedly increased by the ball coming in off of the crossbar too.

It's an absolutely beautiful finish.

WHAT A GOAL!

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!

 

A slight scare for Watford as King fails to shield the ball out of play but McLean's cutback can't quite be controlled by Pukki and the ball does go out for a goal kick in the end.

Sissoko lays the ball off to Joao Pedro who fires a shot from the left hand side of the box towards goal but it flies over the bar.

The game gets back underway at Vicarage Road, with the home side kicking off this side of half time, going from left to right in this 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

Watford 0-0 Norwich City

Shots: 5-1

On Target: 2-0

Possession: 70%-30%

Corners: 3-0

Fouls: 10-6

Saves: 0-2

Yellow Cards: 1-1

And with that chance, the referee brings the teams in for the half time interval and it's been a thoroughly watchable first 45 minutes.

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.

King gets free on the wing and races forwards before playing the ball into Sissoko, but the captain can't direct his shot on target and that's a big opportunity wasted there.

Joao Pedro gets into the box with some excellent footwork and tries to poke a shot past Gunn but it lacks any power and is held onto by the goalkeeper.

The fourth official has put up his board to show that there will be a minimum of two added minutes at the end of this half.

Watford are ending this half the better side here, and look hungry for the opening goal before the break, but they don't have much time to go.

They'll continue to push though, no doubt.

More swift attacking prowess from the home side leads to Dennis going down in the box but Mike Dean waves away the appeals for a penalty.

Following a slick attacking move from Watford which is cleared away by Norwich, Dennis is too eager to win the ball back and is perhaps lucky to get away with just a yellow card.

Lees-Melou gives away a free kick after a foul on Dennis and Cleverley floats the ball into the box, but it's nowhere near any of his teammates and is an opportunity wasted.

 

Femenia puts the ball in the direction of multiple Watford attackers but Gibson heads it out for a corner, which is sent towards goal by the head of Samir.

Angus Gunn catches with ease though.

Watford pushing up the pitch more here as Sissoko unleashes an effort from long range but sees it blocked away.

That's more promising from the Hornets though.

The game has slightly subsided in tempo here, with neither side able to pose a significantly threatening attack as of yet.

Joao Pedro gets into space on the wing but Williams does well to recover, sending the ball out for a corner, which once again doesn't threaten Angus Gunn's goal.

An early change here for Norwich as Sorensen is forced to depart in place of McLean after he appeared to land awkwardly following an earlier challenge.

First corner of the game and it's for Watford after a speculative shot from Cleverley forces Gunn to concede the set piece.

Unfortunately for the home team, the delivery is poor and it's cleared by the first man.

A late challenge from Brandon Williams on Dennis and the left back seems lucky to escape a caution after a fairly strong tackle.

Watford have their first chance of the game as Kamara crosses the ball into Dennis but the referee blows for a foul on Brandon Williams by the Nigerian.

Sissoko gives the ball away near his own box, and it comes to Sargent who passes into Rashica but his strike from the edge of the box goes wide.

Neither side can hold onto the ball for particularly long periods of possession, especially in the midfield.

There needs to be a little more cohesion going forwards for both sides.

Mike Dean blows his whistle again, for another free kick, which this time is on the left hand side of the pitch inside the Norwich attacking half, but the cross comes to nothing.

A few early fouls here as both sides look to get a foothold (quite literally) in the game, and combined with the atmosphere this has the potential for an exciting game.

Idah charges forwards with the ball, shielding it well and Moussa Sissoko brings him down on the edge of the box.

The resulting free kick from Rashica hits the wall but this has been a promising start from the visitors.

It's the away side that get us underway here tonight, and they'll be kicking from left to right during this opening 45 minutes.

The two sides have just come out from the tunnel, lining up to complete the pre-match formalities and kick-off is now moments away here!

👌 Finishing touches - we're under way shortly!#NCFC | #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/toIlHgnkFl — Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 21, 2022

There's just over 10 minutes to go until this game gets going tonight, and the atmosphere is building at Vicarage Road as the crowd continues to filter in.

Stay right here for all the latest updates right throughout the game when it gets underway shortly!

Go well tonight, @AngusGunn01! 🧤#NCFC | #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/n3v6ePBGwP — Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 21, 2022

Here's what the bottom part of the Premier League table looks like heading into this one:

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)

And here's what Norwich City fans make of Dean Smith's selection...

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

Here's what Watford fans think of their team...

pic.twitter.com/4sBPzZiNo6

— 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... 

pic.twitter.com/nqS2MS7ikI

— CLINICALFPL  (@CLINICALFPL) January 21, 2022

Always in our hearts 💛

There's only one Graham Taylor 🙌#ThankYouGT #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/XklmuLdJH6 — Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) January 21, 2022

There's an interesting point of similarity between both teams' starting XI's, with each manager being forced to name their second choice goalkeepers tonight.

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.

... and here's what the away side's team looks like!

🚨 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨

▪️ Gunn replaces injured Krul
▪️ McGovern on the bench
▪️ McLean back and among subs#NCFC | #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/r7hKS5FvvT

— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 21, 2022

Here's how the home team line-up this evening...

🚨 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨

Here's how your Hornets line up against Norwich City this evening! #WATNOR pic.twitter.com/4Vr6Ozzi4d

— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) January 21, 2022

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Good evening and welcome to this live coverage of Watford vs Norwich City in the first game of this round of fixtures in the Premier League this weekend.

We'll have team news for you very shortly, along with live score updates, and all the key events as they happen, right here on this live page.

That's everything for now from this pre-live section ahead of a Friday night relegation clash under the Vicarage Road lights in a crucial game for both sides.

Do not miss a detail of the match Watford vs Norwich City live updates and commentaries of VAVEL.

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India: 1:30 AM

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

For those viewers from the UK wanting to watch this game live on TV, that can be done by tuning into Sky Sports Premier League from 7:00 PM on Friday night.

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.

The importance of this game to both sides when looking at the league table as a whole absolutely cannot be understated in terms of the impact it could have on each team's season.

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.

There's been plenty of games between these two sides throughout history, coming across a wide variety of different competitions in that time too.

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.

Once again, there's not been a whole load of players that have shone for Norwich City in what has been a disappointing season so far, but Teemu Pukki has been helping out where he can.

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.

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When looking at players who can say that individually they have had a successful season so far for Watford, the player who could be most confident in that would be 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.

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Team News 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

Team News 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

The referee for Watford vs Norwich City will be Mike Dean, and he'll be assisted by Ian Hussin and Mark Scholes.

On fourth official duties will be Peter Bankes, while it's set to be John Brooks in the VAR booth, alongside James Mainwaring.

As for the away side, it's not a particularly pretty picture for them either, given the fact they sit in 18th place as things stand, as well as having played more games than all of those around them.

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.

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It's been a strange season for Watford in some senses, with various positive results springing to mind fairly quickly - take the 4-1 win against Manchester United, for example.

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 Watford vs Norwich City match will be played at Vicarage Road, in Watford, with a capacity of 22,000 people.

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.