Norwich City continued their unbeaten run of form with a 1-0 victory over title challengers Manchester United at Carrow Road this evening.
Following a first half with no goals, Anthony Pilkington scored with a header after the restart to hand the hosting Canaries all three points.
Below Sports Mole has looked back over the action to determine whether or not visiting United deserved a share of the spoils or not.
Match statistics:
Norwich:
Shots 10
On target 5
Possession 49%
Corners 0
Fouls 10
Man United:
Shots 12
On target 9
Possession 51%
Corners 12
Fouls 7
Was the result fair?
Without a doubt Norwich deserved the points. Over the last few weeks they have become virtually watertight in defence and carried that on today. You can count on one hand the number of clear-cut chances that they gave United. Also, having taken the lead, they didn't just sit back and invite on pressure.
Norwich's performance
As mentioned above, Hughton's men defended extremely well. When they were breached, John Ruddy in goal was on hand to thwart the United attack. Where the likes of Aston Villa and Southampton have crumbled from winning positions against United this season, Norwich stood firm.
Man United's performance
Sloppy, wasteful and lacklustre are all words that sum up the way United performed this evening. Norwich were resolute in defence and the visitors did not have the ability to unlock the door. Too often Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez were isolated, while the likes of Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick in midfield gave the ball away frequently.
Sports Mole's man of the match
The whole Norwich City team: It seems a bit of a cop out given this to the whole team, but they fully deserve it. In truth, no-one really stood out for the home side. Everybody did their job extremely well and as a result they got their reward.
Biggest gaffe
It's likely that Jonny Howson is going to be the butt of the jokes from his teammates for some time after his miss in stoppage time. With his side leading 1-0, he raced through on the United goal unopposed. He never looked comfortable though and with just Anders Lindegaard to beat, he sent his shot nearer the corner flag! Thankfully for him, it didn't matter in terms of the outcome.
Referee performance
Anthony Taylor was barely noticeable in this game, thanks largely to the fact that he had very little to do. Both teams played the match in the right spirit and he only had to issue one booking and that was to United full-back Rafael in stoppage time.
What next?
Norwich: The Canaries' unbeaten run will be put to the test next weekend when they travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton.
Man United: Following a Champions League clash with Turkish side Galatasaray during the week, United play host to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
Liam Apicella
