It was the joke doing the rounds in Norwich City circles before kick-off. Trying to earn a win would be nice, but scoring a goal? That would do.
No Premier League club taking on League One opposition in the FA Cup third round – even away from home as Norwich were against Charlton Athletic here – would escape criticism if that was all they managed.
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But the bigger picture with Norwich is not kind. Before kick-off on Sunday, they had scored just eight goals in their 19 Premier League games. Their last one was against Newcastle United’s 10 men at St James’ Park, a late equaliser to secure their most recent point… on November 30.
They are up to 460 minutes of football since without a league goal.
You have to go back to new coach Dean Smith’s first game in charge, a 2-1 comeback win at home to Southampton on November 20, for the last time Norwich scored in the league against 11 men.
Only one of the two goals that day was from open play, which is also the ratio for Norwich’s top-flight season. That’s right: Norwich have scored just four times from open play in 1,710 league minutes (plus stoppage time) on their return to the Premier League as Championship winners.
So no one should excuse the forgotten feeling that arrived on 79 minutes at The Valley. The pure joy that comes with forcing the ball into the opponents’ net, even when said opponents are from two divisions below you.
This particular goal earned Norwich a 1-0 win and a trip to Wolves in the FA Cup’s fourth round at the start of February.
The sharpness and weight of Kenny McLean’s pass from midfield gave Teemu Pukki the sort of chance to bear down on goal that only seems to arrive at his feet in the EFL.
His first touch made it a goalscoring chance, while the bobble of his third nearly took it away. That the Finland international could then lift his head, spot Milot Rashica, who had just held his run by a couple of yards a moment earlier, and pick him out, made sure he registered the sort of assist that holds its own.
Rashica could then bag his first goal since joining Norwich for more than £9 million in the summer, on his return after over a month out with a groin injury.
There’s the opener! 😁pic.twitter.com/MnvMvLIiSo
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 9, 2022
For the record, that made it seven goals in Norwich’s three cup games this season. Yes, that is one short of their entire Premier League tally in 19.
They will desperately hope to put some distance between those figures before that last-32 trip to Molineux.
This is where the Premier League optimism resurfaces.
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Kosovan winger Rashica was just starting to find form before his training ground injury ruled him out of that Newcastle trip. You are always a better player in supporters’ eyes when you are not in the team and Rashica’s stock has been rocketing with each goalless defeat he’s missed, having begun to influence Norwich positively on the pitch before it.
His ability to run at defenders and send them back towards their goal has been missing in his absence. His support run off Pukki, which rewarded him with his goal, is the sort of attacking partnership that could greatly alter Norwich’s attacking threat in the months ahead – if Smith can find a way to translate it into Premier League effectiveness.
Pukki and Rashica had the pace to keep up with each other and the quality to make it count in a two-v-two situation. It is a directness and efficiency that has all too often eluded Norwich this season.
“You can see both players want to get behind back fours, or back fives as it was today. Both of them will score goals,” Smith tells The Athletic. “But we still have to win enough possession to feed them. It was a quality ball down the side and Teemu’s good cross. Hopefully that’s now Teemu back from COVID and Milot from injury.”
Reminder that, aside from the Bournemouth Carabao Cup game, Norwich City haven’t scored without Teemu Pukki on the field this season.
Of the nine goals scored in all their other fixtures, Pukki has scored or set up six (with 2 of the other 3 coming from corners…) #ncfc 🔰🐐🇫🇮
— NCFC Numbers (@ncfcnumbers) January 9, 2022
Of course, doing it at fifth-placed West Ham on Wednesday night, when Smith’s last-placed side finally see Premier League action for the first time in 2022, is a much taller order. But for as long as Norwich have Pukki, they have a chance. Literally.
Sunday’s game once again underlined how important Pukki is to Norwich’s attacking threat, after a horribly blunt first 45 minutes in which they had just one shot: a drive from outside the penalty area that McLean sent over the crossbar.
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Pukki was brought on as part of a triple half-time change, with Rashica and Brandon Williams, and duly registered his sixth goal involvement (scoring or assisting) this season. Of Norwich’s three other goals scored with Pukki on the pitch, two have come from corners.
The only time Norwich have scored this season in Pukki’s absence was the 6-0 Carabao Cup thrashing of a below-strength Bournemouth in August.
Pukki is not getting any younger, turning 32 in March, and as yet remains out of contract come the summer. Yet his influence remains as strong as ever.
It won’t be lost on anyone that while Pukki remains a much-loved model of consistency for supporters, Todd Cantwell was once again missing from the squad – having been expected to start earlier in the week, he pulled out before the game with what Smith labelled as “illness”.
Cantwell is also on a contract that expires in the summer, although Norwich will trigger their option for a 12-month extension should he still be at the club once this month’s transfer window closes. It may be up to relegation rivals Newcastle and the strength of their interest in Cantwell as whether that step is needed or not.
One thing Norwich’s performance at Charlton did highlight is the work that is needed below the clear, key personnel to their current ambitions. It would take a brave person to predict the relentless continuation in 2022-23 of Norwich’s recent Championship domination, on those occasions they have needed it.
One problem at a time, though.
On what threatened to be a desperate afternoon, Norwich provided one moment in attack with some returning faces that could at least translate into something more promising over the coming weeks; something Smith had been able to spark on his initial arrival, but then watched it peter out as injuries and illnesses struck.
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Now it is about ending their run of five straight Premier League losses, all without scoring, since Newcastle.
“I don’t think the last three league games have been a fair reflection of us as a team. The squad has been decimated since we played Manchester United (four games ago),” adds Smith. “This (cup win) gives everyone a boost to break the cycle.”
(Photo: Jacques Feeney/Getty Images)
