Norwich City Vs Sheffield Wednesday: Canaries beat relegated Owls 2-0 as Toure limps off
In norwich city vs sheffield wednesday at Carrow Road, Norwich City beat the already-relegated Owls 2-0, a victory that moved the Canaries up a place to 17th and left them eight points clear of the drop zone. The result came amid off-field turmoil for Wednesday after the James Bord consortium pulled out of a deal to buy the club earlier in the day.
Early injury blow as Mohamed Toure departs inside opening minutes
Australia international Mohamed Toure was forced off after a very early setback, going down clutching his groin in the sixth minute while chasing a long ball from Jack Stacey. Toure, who had scored five goals in four games since arriving in the transfer window, left the field as a suspected groin injury; Norwich fans were left hoping the problem was not serious.
Kvistgaarden and Maghoma settle the contest in a productive first half
Mathias Kvistgaarden and Paris Maghoma scored within seven first-half minutes to give Norwich control. Kvistgaarden came on for Toure and after an initial left-foot finish flagged offside following a perfectly-weighted through ball from Kenny McLean, he later headed a loose ball against the bar before nodding the rebound over the line. Maghoma, making his first league start, produced a powerful left-foot strike after creating space with a slick turn and also curled narrowly beyond the far post from a second chance; his previous goal for Norwich had been scored in the FA Cup.
Norwich City Vs Sheffield Wednesday: Clement, the Medic experiment and team changes
Head coach Philippe Clement made four changes after Saturday's home defeat by Birmingham City and later surprised by removing Kvistgaarden and sending on Jakov Medic, normally a centre-back, to lead the line up front. Medic offered a physical presence and a focal point as Norwich searched for a third, and Clement said the side had by far the most chances and most possession, adding that the two good goals could have been more.
Clean sheet and defensive run under Vladan Kovacevic as margins narrow
Goalkeeper Vladan Kovacevic kept his fifth clean sheet of the Championship campaign in the 2-0 win, a result that left Norwich eight points clear of the drop with 12 games remaining. Kovacevic described it as a perfect evening, praised the defensive display and urged the squad to take matches one at a time. Since Boxing Day, Norwich have won all five matches against sides below them in the table — Charlton, West Brom, Blackburn, Oxford United and Sheffield Wednesday — conceding just five shots on target in those games, a run Kovacevic said has left him needing to make only a handful of saves each match.
Wednesday's struggles continue on and off the pitch
Already relegated, Sheffield Wednesday suffered their 11th successive defeat and faced fresh off-field upheaval after the James Bord consortium pulled out of a proposed takeover earlier in the day. Dominic Iorfa returned to their defence for the first time since 4 January, but the side remained shot-shy as Norwich dominated. After the break, Jamal Lowe fed Charlie McNeill on the right of the box only for Kellen Fisher to produce a superb diving block to deflect the shot wide, and Joe Emery came closest for Wednesday when he headed wide from a free-kick. Jacob Wright tested Norwich with a fierce 25-yarder that was palmed away by Seny Dieng during Norwich's spell of control.
Norwich could not add to their tally in a subdued second half, but the first-half strikes were enough to inflict defeat on the Owls. Both teams have tight fixtures following the match: Wednesday will be at home to Southampton on Saturday, while Norwich travel to take on Leicester City.
