Norwich City 1-1 Ipswich Town - Match Report Sunday, 26th Feb 2017 14:14 Jonas Knudsen netted his second derby goal of the season but Jacob Murphy equalised as Town and Norwich drew 1-1 at Carrow Road. Knudsen opened the scoring with a header on 63, then Murphy beat the otherwise brilliant Bartosz Bialkowski with a 20-yard strike at an angle six minutes later. The Blues were unchanged from last week’s 1-1 home draw with Leeds with skipper Luke Chambers OK to take his place on the right of the defensive three having been ill earlier in the week. Cole Skuse continued in central midfield with Toumani Diagouraga, who had also been unwell earlier in the week, back on the bench having been ineligible against his parent club last week. With Tom Lawrence still suspended, Freddie Sears kept his place alongside David McGoldrick up front despite suffering a groin strain in the draw with the Whites in which he scored his first goal since October. Norwich made three changes with Steven Whittaker, Yanic Wildschut and Alex Pritchard dropping to the bench and Ivo Pinto and Steven Naismith, both back from injury, and Wes Hoolahan all starting. More than 2,000 Town fans were in a capacity crowd, as was Framlingham-based pop star Ed Sheeran, sat with the home fans although understood to be a Blues supporter. The home side were first to threaten in the fifth minute when a corner from the left reached the unmarked Jonny Howson, who smashed a volley against a defender. Town failed to clear and the ball again fell to the former Leeds man, who hit another effort, which deflected wide. Norwich kept up the early pressure and two minutes later Mitchell Dijks crossed from the left and Cameron Jerome shot wide on the turn when he will feel he ought to have done better. The Blues threatened for the first time in the ninth minute, Jordan Spence finding Sears on the left of the area but the ball was stabbed behind and Town were unable to make anything of the corner. From the flag-kick the Blues probably should have been awarded a penalty when Dijks hauled back McGoldrick, however, referee Oliver Langford gave a freekick against the Town striker. There was a scare for the Blues in the 15th minute when Jerome escaped behind the Town defence - with more than a hint of offside - but Christophe Berra did superbly to get back to slide the ball behind. From the corner, the former Cardiff and Stoke man headed over. The Canaries continued to look much the more dangerous side and in the 18th minute only a brilliant Bartosz Bialkowski save stopped them from going in front. Dijks beat Spence and crossed low from the left. The ball struck Berra and then Knudsen, who inadvertently diverted it goalwards only for Bialkowski to pull off a remarkable reaction save to tip it over the bar. On 20 the Blues’ Polish keeper came out quickly to claim the ball ahead of Jerome from Pinto’s through ball. Town started to have more of the ball as the game moved towards the half-hour mark with McGoldrick beginning to get more involved. However, the Blues were still to create a chance and in the 29th minute Bialkowski was again quickly off his line to clear ahead of Jerome, whose battle with Berra was one of the main features of the first half. Four minutes later, following a corner, the ball was laid back to Hoolahan on the edge of the box but the Irish international’s shot flew well over. The Norwich pressure continued and in the 37th minute the home fans appealed for a penalty after Knudsen blocked a shot from a corner but the ball hadn’t appeared to strike the Danish international anywhere near his hand and referee Langford waved away the protests. Soon after, Myles Kenlock did well to get across to block yet another Norwich shot from just outside the box. Two minutes before the break McGoldrick hit Town’s first serious strike of the half high and wide into the stand from a tight angle on the left. The scoreline remained 0-0 after one minute of additional time. The Blues’ backline had withstood a great deal of pressure during the first 45 minutes with Norwich only really coming close to breaking the deadlock on two occasions, Jerome’s early effort on the turn and Knudsen’s almost-own goal when Bialkowski made an outstanding save. At the other end, Canaries keeper John Ruddy was yet to be tested with McGoldrick - who ought to have won a penalty early on - and Sears only involved fleetingly, while in midfield, Emyr Huws had had an uncharacteristically quiet half. Three minutes after the restart the home side thought they’d gone in front when Dijks forced a corner from the right over the line, however, the Dutchman was adjudged to have used his hand. There was a further early scare for the Blues a minute later when Naismith’s flicked header from a freekick seemed destined for the corner of the net until Bialkowski got down and across to push it past the post. Town made their first change in the 56th minute, Tommy Smith coming on for his first appearance since undergoing a back operation in September in place of Kenlock. Smith took up his usual central defensive role with Knudsen moving to left wing-back. Soon after the change Town created their first opportunity of the second half, Sears crossing from the right but McGoldrick was unable to divert the ball goalwards. Knudsen cut it back from the left but nowhere near a team-mate. As the hour approached, Sears was booked for a foul on Pinto and from the freekick Jerome headed the ball into the ground and to Bialkowski. The Blues were getting more opportunities than they had in the first half and in the 61st minute, after a Knudsen long throw from the left, a loose ball fell to Sears, whose shot was blocked. Norwich subsequently broke but Hoolahan’s ball was too strong and Bialkowski claimed. But Town were growing in confidence and McGoldrick in influence and in the 63rd minute they went in front. The Irish international striker fed Spence on the right and the ex-West Ham man sent over a cross to the far post from where Knudsen nodded his second East Anglian derby goal into the back of the net before celebrating with the visiting fans on the right. Norwich briefly looked stunned at having gone behind and McGoldrick crossed from the right to Sears as the Blues went looking for a second goal, but the former Colchester striker was unable to keep the ball in play. But the Canaries quickly started to threaten to score an equaliser, Naismith hitting a shot from the edge of the box which Bialkowski palmed away. And in the 69th minute they levelled when Jacob Murphy - nephew of former Blue Tommy Parkin - smashed a powerful shot from just outside the area to the right which flew past Bialkowski’s left hand inside his near post. The keeper may feel he ought to have got down to it. Jerome nodded a Dijks cross wide on 73, before Bialkowski made another fantastic save, diverting Alexander Tettey’s powerfully hit shot from just inside the area over. Town switched Sears for Kieffer Moore, then Norwich swapped Naismith for Josh Murphy and then Hoolahan for Pritchard. Not long after, Diagouraga replaced Huws for the Blues. As the match moved into its final 10 minutes the Canaries were continuing to have most of the chances - Bialkowski again did well to save Pritchard’s shot hit low to his right - but Town were threatening on the break, Timm Klose doing well to cut out Skuse’s cross from the left for McGoldrick. On 86 Spence was booked for pulling back Josh Murphy. In the 88th minute Dijks hot a powerful strike from distance which Bialkowski confidently held on to with Norwich continuing to press Town as they looked for a winning goal. In five minutes of injury time Dijks turned a corner wide, then seconds before the whistle Pritchard fired over from distance. Despite having gone ahead, Town will be the happier with the point and the share of the derby spoils having been under the cosh at times with the Blues backline resilient and man of the match Bialkowski making a number of superb saves. At the other end, Town, quieter and less on the front foot than in other recent games, rarely tested Ruddy aside from the goal, although they will feel they ought to have been awarded a penalty in the first half when McGoldrick was manhandled by Dijks. The Canaries will be disappointed with a draw which will have dealt their play-off ambitions a setback, particularly having had so much of the ball. Given the current financial disparities between the clubs Town will feel the two derby draws - the first time both league clashes between the sides have ended level in the professional era - reflects upon them better than their deadliest rivals, although the wait for a win against the Canaries continues, the last victory having been the 3-2 April 2009 win at Portman Road and the last at Carrow Road having been the 2-1 success in February 2006. The result sees the Blues stay in 15th ahead of next Saturday’s home game against Brentford, who are two places and one point ahead of them. Norwich City: Ruddy, Pinto, Martin, Klose, Dijks, Tettey, Howson, Jacob Murphy, Hoolahan (Pritchard 79), Naismith (Josh Murphy 76), Jerome. Unused: McGovern, Whittaker, Wildschut, Lafferty, Bennett, Josh Murphy. Town: Bialkowski, Spence, Chambers (c), Berra, Knudsen, Kenlock (T Smith 56), Skuse, Ward, Huws (Diagouraga 81), Sears (Moore 75), McGoldrick. Unused: Gerken, Emmanuel, T Smith, Bru, Moore, Pitman. Referee: Oliver Langford (West Midlands). Att: 27,107.
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