Norwich City 1-1 Leeds United: Match report, player ratings

Josh Sargent’s penalty was offset by a second-half strike from Largie Ramazani, but the overall mood in NR1 was positive after another encouraging result led by Johannes Hoff Thorup.

City fans will be familiar with United manager Daniel Farke’s love of possession, but he had to wait for it on a gloomy night in Norfolk. When the guests finally got hold of the ball, they wasted it and Willy Gnonto’s center was nowhere near a team-mate.

Instead, it was Norwich who dominated the first game, enjoying the lion’s share of territory and dangerously provoking.

The problem was a failure to convert them into chances and Leeds looked set to score first. Gnonto did well to fend off the offside trap to get on goal, but failed en route to a one-on-one with Angus Gunn.

When the hosts created their first chance, it was a big one. Excellent work from Ante Crnac brought Sargent into the box and his feint led Joe Rodon to miss a penalty. There was a several-minute wait while injured White midfielder Ilia Gruev was treated, but the American made no mistake.

However, Leeds responded decisively and almost equalized within two minutes. Gnonto was once again at the center of the action, this time shooting against the near post after a safe shot.

From then on the away presence continued to grow and the increasingly nervous Norwich defense retreated deeper into their own half. Early substitute Joe Rothwell had a good chance to make the most of it when he took a free kick just outside the D but it rolled straight into the wall.

City then almost doubled their lead against the run of play, a quick attack that ended with a reflex save from Illan Meslier from Joe Rodon’s shot on goal. Nothing came of the subsequent set pieces, the game went into a holding pattern and there were a few rare minutes of calm.

But this period didn’t last long as a quick counterattack gave Marcelino Nunez the chance to get on the scoresheet. However, by the time the ball reached the Chilean it had become a difficult affair due to a series of deflections and poor touches. Borja Sainz was the next to aim, but he missed wide.

The result looked good for the home fans before half-time, but shortly before that they suffered a bitter setback. Jose Cordoba stayed down long after the final whistle, meaning a defensive reshuffle that saw the introduction of Jack Stacey and left fans worried.

But the reorganized defense avoided many tests in the first ten minutes as the attackers did most of the work by returning to the floodlights in a positive manner. Ramazani’s miss from distance was as close as Leeds came and their desire for an equalizer only resurfaced as the game approached the final third.

When they woke up, it was a goal, a clever move that made the difference between a seemingly comfortable home lead and an even score. Gnonto received the ball from Pascal Struijk, turned around and found Ramazani, who confidently finished the ball. Farke will have agreed, with more than a hint of his Championship-winning City side scoring goals.

After that, the initiative was Leeds’s and their push was a sign that a point wasn’t enough. Both Brenden Aaronson and Jayden Bogle will feel like they could have made better use of their chances, but neither of them found the target.

Having weathered this storm, Norwich were able to take control again. There were no clear-cut chances, but they were able to spot a point that many fans would have assumed before kick-off.

With this result they have proven that they can compete with the top players in the division. However, Thorup will not rest on his laurels and the task now is to capitalize on his visit to Hull on Saturday.

CITY OF NORWICH:

Substitute:

12. Long (GK)

3. Stacey (for Cordoba, 45)

5. Hanley

18. Forson (for Nunez, 80)

21. Gordon (for Crnac, 71)

29. Schwartau (for Slimane, 71)

40. Hill

41. Forsyth

44. Myles

Head Coach: Johannes Hoff Thorup

Bookings: Sargent (30), Doyle (38)

Goals: Sargent (pen, 15)

LEEDS UNITED:

Substitute:

28. Darlow (TW)

8. Rothwell (for Gruev, 20)

9. Bamford (for Joseph, 70)

10. Piroe (operation for Ramazani, 70)

25. Byram (for Firpo, 83)

30. Gelhardt (for Gnonto, 83)

37. Debayo

42. Chambers

50th crew

Manager: Daniel Farke

Bookings: Struijk (8), Rothwell (23), Bogle (47), Farke (85)

Goals: Ramazani (60)

KEY MOMENTS

15 – GOAL NORWICH (Sargent, pen): Sargent thinks Crnac’s work is excellent

17 – Gnonto intervenes and shoots with his left foot, but his shot bounces off the near post.

31 – Gnonto shoots from 25 meters, but his shot is deflected past the goal.

33 – Rothwell’s free kick bounces off the wall to Gnonto, whose shot is intercepted by Gunn.

35 – Meslier does well to miss after Rodon directs Doyle’s cross towards his own goal.

Half time: Norwich City – Leeds United 1-0

51 – The ball goes to Ramazani from a Leeds free kick and he shoots well over the goal.

57 – The ball breaks for Rothwell to half-volley, but his well-struck shot goes straight towards Gunn.

59 – Nunez’s corner finds Crnac, his header flies comfortably over the goal from six meters.

60 – GOAL LEEDS (Ramazani): Gnonto receives the ball on the edge of the penalty area, turns McLean around and brings Ramazani to shoot into the far corner.

66 – Gnonto pushes the ball to Aaronson in the penalty area, but he shoots well over and past the goal.

70 – Gnonto passes the ball to Bogle, who narrowly misses the top corner from 15 meters.

Full time: Norwich City – Leeds United 1-1

PLAYER RATINGS

Gunn 8, Fisher 8, Duffy 6, Cordoba 7, Doyle 7, McLean 5, Nunez 7, Slimane 6, Crnac 7, Sargent 7, Sainz 7. Subs: Stacey 6, Schwartau 5, Gordon 6, Forson 6.

Added time: 7 mins/

Participation: 26,261 (1,691 Leeds)

Referee: Stephen Martin