2 years ago
40
ARTICLE AD BOX
Pierre Lees-Melou cost Norwich about £3.5m from Nice in the summerBottom club Norwich City kept alive their slim hopes of avoiding a quick-fire return to the Championship and dealt a blow to fellow strugglers Burnley with a crucial win at Carrow Road.
Pierre Lees-Melou's first goal since signing from Nice for £3.5m last July and Teemu Pukki's 86th-minute finish settled a tense relegation scrap - and earned the Canaries only their fifth Premier League victory since winning promotion last season.
French midfielder Lees-Melou's ninth-minute deflected shot, which went in off the post, put the hosts on their way before Pukki drilled home the second to give Norwich a glimmer of hope of staying up, with Dean Smith's side now seven points from safety with seven matches left.
Burnley had their moments with Maxwel Cornet, the match-winning hero against Everton in midweek, missing a glorious chance from three yards out.
In what was a must-win game, Norwich's defence came under relentless pressure at times but recorded back-to-back clean sheets in the league for the first time since October.
The result leaves the Clarets 18th in the table, four points from safety with eight matches remaining.
- Reaction from Carrow Road, plus the rest of Sunday's Premier League games
- Visit our Norwich City page
- Go straight to all the best Burnley content
Gritty Norwich show fight - but have they left it too late?
With struggling Everton beating Manchester United at Goodison Park on Saturday, Norwich started Sunday's game 10 points from safety with eight matches left.
But Smith's side passed the pressure test in style with a first win in nine league games.
It will still require a monumental effort for them to survive. Three of their final seven matches include teams challenging for Europe - West Ham (home), Tottenham (home) and Manchester United (away).
Smith said before the match he still had belief, and his players responded with a thoroughly professional performance against a team with renewed belief following their win over Everton.
Even before Lees-Melou's goal, Milot Rashica forced Nick Pope into a diving save, while the Burnley keeper denied Pukki by saving with his legs.
Just as impressive for Smith was his side's performance at the back.
Norwich made several vital blocks to frustrate Burnley, including one by former Clarets defender Ben Gibson to keep out Ashley Westwood's volley.
In the closing stages, Norwich's Grant Hanley headed against the bar while Pope denied Rashica before Pukki had home fans celebrating a rare win.
Burnley's survival hopes suffer major setback
Cornet will have nightmares about his 65th-minute miss, just days after he left the pitch at Turf Moor with fans singing his name following his late winner against Everton.
He looked certain to equalise as he slid to meet Dwight McNeil's lovely pass, but somehow put it wide as Burnley failed to score for the 15th time in the league this season.
Earlier, Cornet was denied by Tim Krul, but the Norwich keeper was not tested nearly enough in what was a high-stakes game.
Sean Dyche will still believe his side can climb out of trouble in the closing weeks, and they still have to meet fellow strugglers Watford on 30 April. But Burnley's survival hopes fade with each game without a win.
Substitute Matej Vydra headed against the bar in the closing moments before Josh Brownhill was frustrated by Krul, but the damage was already done.
How to play
Rate players out of 10 throughout or after the game. The rater will close 30 minutes after the final whistle.
Rating range key1 = Give it up10 = Pure perfection
Norwich City
Squad number1Player nameKrul
Squad number3Player nameByram
Squad number5Player nameHanley
Squad number4Player nameGibson
Squad number30Player nameGiannoulis
Squad number23Player nameMcLean
Squad number16Player nameNormann
Squad number10Player nameDowell
Squad number20Player nameLees-Melou
Squad number17Player nameRashica
Squad number22Player namePukki
Squad number7Player nameRupp
Squad number18Player nameTzolis
Squad number21Player nameWilliams
Burnley
Squad number1Player namePope
Squad number2Player nameLowton
Squad number22Player nameCollins
Squad number5Player nameTarkowski
Squad number3Player nameTaylor
Squad number17Player nameLennon
Squad number18Player nameWestwood
Squad number8Player nameBrownhill
Squad number20Player nameCornet
Squad number19Player nameRodriguez
Squad number9Player nameWeghorst
Squad number10Player nameBarnes
Squad number11Player nameMcNeil
Squad number27Player nameVydra
Line-ups
Norwich
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Krul
- 3Byram
- 5Hanley
- 4Gibson
- 30GiannoulisSubstituted forWilliamsat 84'minutes
- 23McLean
- 16Normann
- 10Dowell
- 20Lees-MelouBooked at 26minsSubstituted forRuppat 69'minutes
- 17Rashica
- 22PukkiSubstituted forTzolisat 89'minutes
Substitutes
- 2Aarons
- 6Zimmermann
- 7Rupp
- 18Tzolis
- 19Sørensen
- 21Williams
- 28Gunn
- 45Springett
- 46Rowe
Burnley
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Pope
- 2Lowton
- 22Collins
- 5Tarkowski
- 3TaylorBooked at 78mins
- 17LennonSubstituted forMcNeilat 64'minutes
- 18Westwood
- 8Brownhill
- 20Cornet
- 19RodriguezSubstituted forBarnesat 84'minutes
- 9WeghorstSubstituted forVydraat 56'minutes
Substitutes
- 4Cork
- 10Barnes
- 11McNeil
- 13Hennessey
- 14Roberts
- 16Stephens
- 27Vydra
- 28Long
- 37Thomas
Referee:Michael Oliver
Attendance:26,361
Live Text
Match ends, Norwich City 2, Burnley 0.
Second Half ends, Norwich City 2, Burnley 0.
Attempt saved. Josh Brownhill (Burnley) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Maxwel Cornet.
Corner, Burnley. Conceded by Tim Krul.
Attempt missed. Brandon Williams (Norwich City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Milot Rashica.
Matej Vydra (Burnley) hits the bar with a header from the left side of the six yard box. Assisted by Matthew Lowton.
Foul by Maxwel Cornet (Burnley).
Sam Byram (Norwich City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Norwich City. Christos Tzolis replaces Teemu Pukki.
Offside, Norwich City. Tim Krul tries a through ball, but Milot Rashica is caught offside.
Foul by Matthew Lowton (Burnley).
Milot Rashica (Norwich City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Josh Brownhill (Burnley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Mathias Normann (Norwich City).
Goal! Norwich City 2, Burnley 0. Teemu Pukki (Norwich City) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Mathias Normann with a through ball.
Foul by Matej Vydra (Burnley).
Sam Byram (Norwich City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Burnley. Ashley Barnes replaces Jay Rodriguez.
Substitution, Norwich City. Brandon Williams replaces Dimitris Giannoulis.
Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Matthew Lowton.
- Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
English (US)