1 week Ago
Here is Samuel Seaman's verdict on Norwich City, who impressed with their performance on the way to a 0-0 draw with Sunderland. Angus Gunn Had very little to do until the 60th minute, when the Black Cats seemed to spring into life and he was forced into a series of point-saving stops. Until then his major contribution had been a hospital pass that put Jacob Wright in danger of surrendering a sloppy opener, but Gunn made up for that when needed in the second half.
7 Kellen Fisher Not as involved as he has been in recent weeks, as Ante Crnac's injury absence meant a quieter night for the Norwich right-hand side in an offensive sense. No real errors when he was called upon, however, and he successfully walked the disciplinary tightrope for much of the second period after a yellow card early in it. 6 Shane Duffy With a lot of the build-up and distribution going down City's left, the Irish international was left to do what he does best: reading the play and using his physical presence to defend successfully.
Beaten all ends up by Eliezer Mayenda before the forward was denied by Gunn, but otherwise Duffy swept up where required, headed, kicked and cleared his way to an impressive clean sheet. 7 Shane Duffy defended well for the Canaries (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) Jose Cordoba A supreme display from the 23-year-old after a slip in his standards in recent weeks. Recovered from a drab display at Plymouth to show off his pace, strength and cool head on the ball.
Calmly took it around Gunn before turning his marker in a high-pressure situation late on, and lengthened his passes to help his team-mates up the pitch. 8 Kenny McLean Another whose credentials were called into question after an off day at Home Park, but was back to his best against Sunderland as he looked like someone who'd played at left-back for most of his career. Defensively imperious, easing opponents off the ball regularly, and effective in possession as well.
Slid a beautiful pass between defenders before Marcelino Nunez crossed to Anis Ben Slimane to head onto the post. 8 Jacob Wright Anyone who wasn't sure whether Norwich should sign Wright permanently this summer will be now. Nothing especially dramatic, but almost every simple job he did in the centre of midfield was done with class.
That gift to Mayenda was the one small mistake he made, although the blame is shared between him and his goalkeeper for that. 8 Jacob Wright furthered his claims for a permanent Carrow Road stay (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) Marcelino Nunez From his own byline to the edge of the Sunderland box, the Chilean was supreme. He pressed well, covered plenty of ground and oozed technical quality on the ball.
But for some reason that ability broke down in the final third, where he failed to find a team-mate with yards of space late in the first half and couldn't find the target when given the chance on multiple occasions. 6 Anis Ben Slimane Back to the sort of display that endeared supporters to the Tunisian when he first arrived on loan from Sheffield United last September. He's struggled for form since making that deal permanent, but did plenty of things right on this occasion.
Another criticism of him has been his lack of involvement at times, but he was a key man throughout. 7 Oscar Schwartau Not as impactful a performance as some of his creative colleagues, albeit a satisfactory step back into the starting line-up he's vacated for months now. A couple of nice turns and moments of physicality that belied his age in a fairly athletic battle.
Withdrawn at half-time with a dead leg. 6 Borja Sainz A consistent threat for the home side, both when they were dominant in the first 60 minutes and on the counter-attack when Sunderland forced them deep late on. Largely found the right balance between backing his dribbling skills and releasing the ball at the right times.
His failure to take his early chance will have frustrated him though, and ultimately he was part of a front three unable to convert that dominance into three points. 7 Josh Sargent Took some time to grow into the game, but when he did he was the driving force behind a purposeful attack. His determined sprints through the middle of the pitch became a theme in the first half, although he'll have hoped to do better when shooting on the turn from the edge of the box.
After the break he went quiet again, but his presence up front was still a vital one when it came to holding the ball up and bringing others into play. 7 SUBSTITUTES Emiliano Marcondes (on for Schwartau, 45) Came on and made an instant impact, combining well with Sargent and finding himself in positions to make things happen on a regular basis. That tailed off as the game wore on, but this cameo was a timely reminder of what the Dane can offer his countryman Johannes Hoff Thorup.
7 Amankwah Forson (on for Slimane, 76) Plenty of running, but Sunderland were already in control when he was introduced and that meant little chance to get on the ball. 5 Jack Stacey (on for Fisher, 85) A couple of shaky moments defensively and in possession, but not enough to change much. 5 Jacob Sorensen (on for Wright, 85) N/A Ruairi McConville (on for Nunez, 90+3) N/A.
