Norwich City came from behind to grab three points away from home at Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
Despite several attacks in the first half by both sides, City fans were uneasy whether it would be their day after the lack of finishing in the first half.
It was Forest who looked more likely to grab the first goal with Hildeberto Pereira looking a threat on the ball.
Wes Hoolahan’s penalty was saved, whilst Cameron Jerome’s follow-up flew into the Trent End, making City fans unsure whether it was their day before Apostolos Vellios found the back of the net before half-time.
A much-improved performance in the second half saw Jonny Howson and Graham Dorrans grab goals and travel allow the Canaries to travel back to Norfolk with all three points.
Here are five things we learnt from City’s performance at Forest.
Maybe we shouldn't expect magic in the first half
Though Norwich didn’t essentially struggle in the first half, their passing accuracy and general fluency could have been better. This meant that some players didn’t really get going until Jonny Howson’s goal went in. This included Wes Hoolahan. He really struggled in the beginning stages but then had his typical moments of brilliance. By half time, I was wondering whether Alex Pritchard would be getting a look in earlier on than usual but Howson’s goal put an end to that.
Alex Neil isn't afraid to take chances with players
When fans saw someone change into the away kit on the bench, many thought it to be Josh Murphy replacing his twin brother. To the surprise of many, the player to come on was Louis Thompson, making his Championship debut. Replacing Youssouf Mulumbu on the bench, he was the player to eventually replace Hoolahan in the 88th minute. Thompson has been impressive when representing the Canaries in the Under 23 and cup games, and with no speculation of injury to Mulumbu, it comes to show that his performances are winning the approval of Alex Neil. Coming on in the last few minutes, he didn’t have too much time to impress but it’s good to see another young player given a chance.
Workrate still isn't quite enough for Jerome
With Steven Naismith currently out of the picture, Cameron Jerome is Alex Neil’s choice to play up front. He works hard but sometimes it isn’t enough. However, he can’t be faulted too much. Yes, his follow up after the penalty save went into the stands and he had probably two other chances (including a potential tap-in), but he held up play well and when City played more like themselves in the second half, he helped maximise their chances.
Defence less scary but still room for improvement
On Saturday, it was Martin Olsson who was a key player for the Canaries with some good tackles and interceptions to limit Forest’s chances in front of goal. There was panic, however, after City’s second goal when Timm Klose required medical attention but the fan favourite powered through and dealt with Nicklas Bendtner in the second half.
One thing that definitely needs improvement is when their opponents decide to break. Hildeberto Pereira was a huge threat when he got the ball and was on the attack, and he could have easily grabbed a goal.
Second half attacking was exciting
Forget the first half (apart from the odd spell), but when City decided to attack in the second half, they were a threat. Martin Olsson and Robbie Brady complimented each other on the left side when attacking but it was Jacob Murphy who looked City’s biggest attacking threat when he went forward.
He played an impressive game and his crosses certainly looked to cause chances.
He also looked for a shot outside of the box several times and some weren’t too far away from the goal.