Sky Sports Norwich City 4-2 Luton Town: Match report & player ratings.
Norwich City won another thrilling Carrow Road day, defeating struggling Luton Town 4-2.
Goals by Ante Crnac (2), Emiliano Marcondes, and Borja Sainz gave the Canaries a result that defied the game’s balanced character, with two late strikes sending the home audience into raptures as their team finished ninth in the Championship.
City started the stronger of the two teams, dominating territory and possession until Sainz hit the outside of the post. They failed to generate chances after that, falling behind inside 20 minutes.
The opener was their own doing, with Anis Ben Slimane trying an ambitious pass over his own box that allowed Elijah Adebayo to walk through for a straightforward finish.
However, only five minutes later, the hosts were level. Crnac was definitely full of confidence after scoring in Tuesday’s triumph over Plymouth, flicking up Amankwah Forson’s touch to volley home from close range.
If it wasn’t enough to prove he’d turned a corner in yellow and green, his next blow would. He was the benefactor of Jack Stacey’s industrious run, which drove the ball back from the byline for his teammate to tap in.
Norwich were well-deserved ahead at halftime, but the Hatters’ quick second-half start paid well. Again, shoddy defence helped, with a corner landing in the six-yard box, allowing Jacob Brown to slot home.
From there, the game exploded into spurts of frenzy, but quality was in scarce supply. It took until the 80th minute for the next semblance of it, and it came as no surprise that Crnac was engaged once more.
He collected Shane Duffy’s ball well to create space in the box, waiting at the right moment to award Marcondes a straightforward goal.
Six minutes later, City scored the game-winner. Substitute Onel Hernandez beat Amari’i Bell all the way before setting up Sainz, whose strike was just slightly more difficult than his teammate’s.
Head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup will be pleased with a win that did not appear to be coming until late in the game, as his team finished an NR1 double-header with their tenth goal and sixth point.
Norwich City:
Substitutes:
12. Long (GK).
5. Hanley
10. Barnes (on for Crnac at 87)
14. Christene
19. Sorensen (on for Marcondes at 87)
25. Hernandez (on for Forson at 61)
26. Nunez (on for Slimane at 74)
29. Schwartau (on for Sainz at 87)
40. Hills
Head Coach: Johannes Hoff Thorup.
Bookings: Hernandez (63).
Goals by Crnac (25, 33), Marcondes (80), and Sainz (86).
LUTON TOWN:
23. Krul(GK)
5) Andersen
7. Moses (on for Chong at 45)
8. Krauss (on for Baptiste at 75)
10. Woodrow (on for Brown at 67)
13. Nakamba
17. Mpanzu.
25. Taylor (on for Morris at 75)
29. Holmes
Head Coach: Rob Edwards.
Bookings: McGuiness 71, Woodrow 73.
Goals: Adebayo (20) and Brown (48).
Brown misses a shot with his left foot after receiving a header from Fisher.
In the fifth minute, Marcos wins the ball in the Luton box and passes it to Sainz, who strikes the outside of the near post under pressure.
In the 18th minute, Baptiste passes the ball to Chong, who shoots from a tight angle. Stacey just diverts the ball over the crossbar.
In the 20th minute, Adebayo scores a goal for Luton after Slimane makes an audacious pass over his own area.
NORWICH (Crnac) scores 25th minute goal as Luton fails to clear their lines, allowing Forson to score from the area. His flick finds Crnac.
Mengi blocks Sainz’s shot after Marcondes passes him in at 28.
33 – GOAL NORWICH (Crnac): Stacey cuts back on Duffy’s pass from the byline, allowing Crnac to score easily.
In the 43rd minute, Kaminski saves Duffy’s shot from Marcondes’ corner.
Brown robs McLean high up, but no one diverts his low cross (45+2).
Halftime: Norwich City 2-1 Luton Town.
In the 46th minute, Norwich broke past Stacey and found Sainz, who volleyed at Kaminski.
In the 48th minute, Brown equalised for Luton after the hosts failed to clear a corner in their six-yard area.
At 54, Marcos flicks Slimane’s cross to the far post, but it lands comfortably wide.
58 – Gunn misses Morris’ cross, but Adebayo’s header goes over.
In the 62nd minute, Sainz tries but fails to convert Stacey’s cross into a goal.
GOAL NORWICH (Marcondes): Duffy passes to Crnac in the box, who turns superbly and sets Marcondes up for a tap-in.
86 – GOAL NORWICH (Sainz): Hernandez beats Bell to set up Sainz for a straightforward 4-2 finish.
Full-time score: Norwich City 4-2 Luton Town
Player Ratings
Gunn 6, Stacey 8, Duffy 6, Doyle 7, Fisher 6, McLean 6, Slimane 5, Marcondes 8, Forson 5, Sainz 7, and Crnac 9.Subs: Hernandez 7, Nunez 6, Barnes 5, Schwartau 5, and Sorensen 5.
Match Statistics
Possession: 70%-30%.
Shots: 16–12.
On target: 6-3.
Corners: 7–5.
Fouls: 9–12.
Added time: 2 minutes (4 minutes).
Attendance: 26,719 (1,888 Luton).
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