By Tom Caldon
Norwich City 2-0 Ipswich Town
Johnson ’24, Grabban ‘62
Sky Bet Championship | Sunday
1st March 2015 
Carrow Road hosted its first
East Anglian derby in over four years on Sunday afternoon, and rarely had the
stakes been quite so high. A win would move either side to within three points
of the Championship summit. While Norwich looked to extend their five game
winning run, Ipswich hoped to recapture promotion-winning form; having lost
three of their last seven matches.
Canaries manager Alex Neil
made one alteration to the team that won at Blackburn Rovers in midweek; loanee
Graham Dorrans was replaced by the combative Alexander Tettey in the heart of
midfield.
Meanwhile, Blues manager Mick
McCarthy made two midfield changes to the side that defeated Birmingham City
4-2 on Tuesday evening. Jay Tabb replaced Jonathan Parr and Paul Anderson made
way for Richard Chaplow.
In the opening minutes the
game adopted the frantic pace synonymous with a local derby. As the afternoon
sun peered over the Norwich and Peterborough Stand, the Canaries struggled to
spot the ball and defended hesitantly against Ipswich’s aerial threat.
The contest remained fractious
until Cole Skuse was cautioned for his high boot which connected with the jaw
of Bradley Johnson. Referee Paul Tierney had made an invaluable contribution to
the match; the ornery pettiness was over and the football could begin.
Moments later Wes Hoolahan
sent an incisive pass through the Ipswich defence and into the path of Lewis
Grabban. Grabban, with few team-mates ready to receive a pass, instinctively
sent a low cross into the Ipswich penalty area. Johnson had made a late run
into the box and proceeded to crash an unstoppable left-foot shot into the roof
of the net; giving City the lead and sparking pandemonium among the Carrow Road
faithful.
The visitors responded well to
their deficit and launched a purposeful counter-attack on the half-hour mark.
Kevin Bru dispossessed Tettey and released Daryl Murphy down the left flank.
The ex-Celtic marksman centred expertly for team-mate Freddie Sears who, with
time to pick his spot, had his low shot blocked by the boot of Norwich ‘keeper John
Ruddy. The stopper, capped by England, had given his team-mates a reprieve with
this vital intervention.
After the interval, the
visitors briefly seemed to possess a new dynamism, presumably incited by a
zealous half-time team talk from McCarthy. A curling free-kick by Tabb was
inadvertently fired towards the Norwich goal by Johnson, and to the relief of
the Norwich man, just over the crossbar.
The Tractor Boys’ decision to
send more men forward in pursuit of an equaliser unwittingly vacated the space
for the hosts to double their lead. With an hour gone, Hoolahan chipped a pass
towards substitute Cameron Jerome. After winning a foot race with Christophe
Berra, the former Cardiff striker sent a curling shot towards the bottom right
corner of the net. When retreating defender Tyrone Mings tried to block the
shot a series of ricochets culminated in the ball bobbling in off the knee of
Grabban.
Sears immediately tried to
halve the deficit with a fierce shot at the end of a slaloming run. Ruddy
scurried across goal before showing admirable agility to dive down to his left
and make the catch. There was a sense that if Norwich could vigilantly track
the movement of Sears they would see out the final twenty minutes with relative
comfort, such was the lack of innovation among the majority of Sears’
team-mates.
Norwich chased a third goal
and Jonny Howson’s pass, cleaving through the Ipswich defence, provided Jerome
with an inviting opportunity. Ipswich keeper Bartosz Bialkowski excelled in the
one-on-one situation by bravely advancing to the edge of his area and blocking
Jerome’s effort with an outstretched leg. With fifteen minutes left, the Polish
keeper had helped maintain some pride and a glimmer of hope that the visitors
could get back into the game.
In the closing stages, an
inventive Tabb free-kick was as close as the Suffolk club came to a late
comeback. The former Reading midfielder threaded a quick set-piece through to
Sears who, from an acute angle, adroitly dinked over the onrushing Ruddy. A
combination of the imperious Russell Martin and Sebastien Bassong headed off
the line and away to safety, ensuring the canaries’ fourth consecutive victory
over their local rivals.
Ever since David McGoldrick
sustained his knee injury in February Ipswich have lacked the enigmatic attacking
edge they had exhibited in the preceding months. Ironically, McGoldrick’s
replacement Sears showed the most promise in this game, exuding confidence and
an intensity which his team-mates must match if they are to gain promotion; starting
with the away fixture at Leeds United on Wednesday evening.
Neil’s arrival seems to have
liberated Norwich’s attacking players, with the movement of Howson and Johnson
becoming encouragingly expansive. At the
same time, the club’s reconciliation with Bassong may prove to be a
masterstroke; his vast experience will be a vital component if the Canaries are
to surge towards automatic promotion; beginning in the home encounter with Wigan
Athletic.
Teams (Player Ratings in Bold)
Ruddy - 7, Whittaker - 6, Martin
- 7, Bassong - 7, Olsson – 6, Tettey – 6, Johnson - 8 Redmond - 7 (Jerome -
61' - 7 ), Howson – 8, Hoolahan – 7, (Dorrans - 83' - 5 ),
Grabban – 7.
Ipswich Town
Bialkowski – 6, Chambers – 6, Smith – 5, Berra – 7, Mings – 6, Chaplow - 5 (Varney -
45' - 6) Bru – 6 (Parr - 69' - 6 ),
Skuse – 6, Tabb – 7, Sears – 7, Murphy – 7, (Wood -
79' - 6).
Referee: Paul Tierney
Attendance: 27,005
Photo content belongs to
Norwich City Football Club
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