The last time these two clubs met, 43 days ago, it seemed as if there was no hope for Norwich. But even if Dean Smith’s side could not make it a fourth successive victory following Teemu Pukki’s goal after just 39 seconds, there is still plenty of cause for optimism.
Had Wilfried Zaha not fluffed his lines from the penalty spot for Palace just moments after scoring a brilliant equaliser, it could have ended up being a deeply frustrating night for Norwich’s manager. Yet having survived a late onslaught from Patrick Vieira’s side, Norwich have more than a glimmer of achieving what appeared to be the impossible this season.
“We’ve given ourselves the opportunity,” said Smith. “The supporters can see the players are fighting tooth and nail to keep us in the Premier League.” Four wins from their next five matches in all competitions has brought Norwich renewed hope in this part of the world, even if Newcastle’s victory on Tuesday and this point means they find themselves back in the familiar territory of the relegation zone.
Smith had warned Palace that they would be facing a team filled with renewed confidence six weeks on from a chastening defeat at Selhurst Park that Smith admitted was “as low as we could have got”.
It didn’t take long for the Norwich players to prove their manager right. Milot Rashica’s winner against Charlton in the FA Cup third round was the spark for Norwich’s revival and it was the Kosovan winger who created the quickest goal of the Premier League season so far with their first attack. Adam Idah’s touch to set up Pukki after controlling Rashica’s cross was exemplary, with the ball striking the post as it beat Vicente Guaita.
Vieira selected Zaha for the first time since his red card against Tottenham on Boxing Day, having been rested at the weekend despite returning from the Africa Cup of Nations at the end of January. His manager had urged the 29-year-old to show more consistency, but a lacklustre first half that saw the Ivory Coast forward miss the target with his first sighter was no portent of what was to come later.
Pukki must have thought he was going to score his second goal of the night on two occasions in the space of four minutes, only for Tyrick Mitchell to deny him both times, following more excellent play from Rashica that left Joel Ward bamboozled.
Slowly, however, Palace began to find their rhythm and saw two appeals for a penalty correctly turned down by referee Paul Tierney before Zaha took aim again and saw his shot deflect just wide of Gunn’s post.
Jean-Philippe Mateta then thought he had drawn the visitors level just before the break, after coming up with a clever dinked finish. But he was understandably disappointed to see the flag raised for offside.
With Manchester City and Liverpool up next, Norwich must have known that this fixture represented their best opportunity to put points on the board as the season heads towards its crescendo. Having weathered Palace’s early pressure, Rashica took it upon himself to try to extend their lead with an effort from 25 yards that just whistled past the post. A strong right hand from Gunn was then required to stop Jeffrey Schlupp’s instinctive strike from the edge of the area after Norwich had failed to clear their lines.
But there wasn’t much the goalkeeper could have done about Zaha’s equaliser. Having cut an increasingly frustrated figure at the start of the second half, Palace’s talisman suddenly came alive on the hour mark as he left Przemyslaw Placheta in his wake before curling home from the edge of the box.
Two minutes later Zaha had the ball on the penalty spot after Mitchell was brought down by a clumsy challenge from Max Aarons, although this time he seemed to slip at the crucial moment and managed to kick the ball against his standing foot to let Norwich off the hook.
“We need to show more desire to win these kinds of games,” said a clearly frustrated Vieira. Palace still looked the more likely to find a winning goal in the final stages, with Gunn forced to tip a deflected shot from Will Hughes over the bar and then having to push Conor Gallagher’s low free kick away to safety to ensure that Norwich will fight another day.
