It was beautiful. It was powerful. It packed punch with flair. It caused a pitch invasion. The Old Farm Derby (East Anglian Derby) even had horses**t, naturally. Midday Saturday at Carrow Road was the setting of Norwich City’s biggest derby win over Ipswich in club history—a 3-1 thumping sending the Canaries back to Wembley. Here’s five things learnt.
“Qué Sera, Sera”
Whatever will be, will be…At least that’s the mantra Ipswich took into the match. After drawing 1-1 at Portman Road in the first leg of the Play-Off semis, Town boss Mick McCarthy made it clear that his club didn’t control its own destiny. Leading up to the second leg, he emphasized all the pressure was on Alex Neil and Norwich, psychological warfare inviting doubt to creep into the side that crept into the final promotion playoff spot. Granted, the Tractor Boys came out and dominated the first moments of Saturday’s match…
“Out of Time”
…And then reality set in. Even though Ipswich outplayed the home side in the first half, they still failed to produce one harmful attempt at City’s keeper, John Ruddy. In fact, it was Town that had to clear the ball off their own line from a Russell Martin shot. City’s possession and constant bombardment into the visitor’s backline was bound to produce a mistake. Luckily for Norwich, it came with two massive consequences. Midfielder Nathan Redmond was going to score—at least until Christophe Berra held his hand out on the goal line. Red card. Penalty kick. Wesley Hoolahan steps up. Goal. What ensued was City bullying Town in the truest sense of the comparison. The mightier team persevered; the weaker one stood on the touchline and looked out at the festivities they’ve been uninvited to attend.
Gelbe Wand
They were hardly a wall (unless it’s comparing to Borussia Dortmund’s defense), but the centre-backs held firm. It was Martin’s snafu to shatter City’s goal advantage in the first leg. On Saturday, he and Sébastien Bassong confidently cleared mild waves of Tractor Boy attacks. When Norwich eventually conceded, it came from player of the season Bradley Johnson and the most reliable defender (dare I say?) Steven Whittaker. It was the one blemish on an overall immaculate day.
“Don’t Look Back in Anger”
It felt like a promotion. It wasn’t. Instead, it was a confirmation of City’s dominance in East Anglia. After all, a win at Wembley would halt the derby all together; with Norwich fans hoping an inevitable meeting could occur only by means of a cup tie (certainly not relegation or Ipswich promotion). The celebrations were deserving. Neil took over a club in seventh-place, 12 points off the top, and took them top of the league for a brief spell. He guided them into a playoff spot with efficiency. Facing the most dramatic opposition possible, a derby in the playoffs, he prevailed. It was a must-win semi final pairing. Now he needs to do it once more.
“Qué Sera, Sera”
Whatever will be, will be. Middlesbrough have been one side Norwich haven’t beaten this season. But none of that matters anymore. City are back to full strength. They’ve advanced to the finals. A final season determined by one match. Norwich last played at the national stadium in 1985. To get there, they toppled Ipswich in two legs. Is it history repeating itself? Or is it Boro preserving the status quo from the campaign? It’s up to the football gods and Wembley magic.
Either way, this season has featured the most romantic crusade back where we belong: the Premier League. It was never going to be easy. That’s why the Championship is considered the hardest league in the world. There’s no reason for it to get easy now. Whatever will be, will be. But we still haven’t seen the best of Norwich City Football Club in 2014/15. “Qué Sera, Sera!”
