After their 2-0 win over Coventry in the FA Cup third round, Norwich City return to the Sky Bet Championship as they travel to Cardiff City this Saturday (3pm KO).
Ahead of the game, we’re taking a look back on one of our favourite wins at the Cardiff City Stadium, when a four-goal second half was more than enough for the Canaries to come back from behind and take all three points.
Cardiff City 2-4 Norwich City
September 13, 2014
Championship
Cardiff City Stadium
What was on the line?
Just five games into the Championship campaign, but unbeaten going into this fixture against the Bluebirds, not much was at stake except the extension of the perfect start to the 2014-2015 season for City.
However, this game was between two sides recently relegated from the Premier League in the season prior, meaning all eyes were on this fixture to determine who to look out for back in the second division.
How the game unfolded
Cardiff asserted themselves early on in the match, Joe Ralls finding the back of the net in just the fourth-minute with what seemed to be an unlikely angle, the midfielder’s shot perfectly slicing through the City backline and past John Ruddy.
Aron Gunnarsson went on to double Cardiff’s lead in the 22nd minute with a nice cut-back from Anthony Pilkington teeing Gunnarsson up with a nice far corner finish from the centre of the 18-yard box.
Going into the second half two goals down against last season’s Premier League competition, it seemed like it was going to take some work from the Canaries to get back into the game.
Martin Olsson kicked that comeback off just nine minutes into the second half, burying the rebound from a Lewis Grabban challenge inside the six-yard box, taking the Canaries just one goal behind.
No more than four minutes later, Ralls took a heavy touch in the midfield, losing the ball to Nathan Redmond who went bombing down the right flank. Leaving Cardiff substitute Declan John behind on pace, Redmond layed a cross into the box for Cameron Jerome, who’s header deflected into the path for Wes Hoolahan to smash home and level.
It didn’t remain level for long either, City using their new-found momentum to find yet another goal, their third of the half.
An incisive pass from Russell Martin found Alex Tettey, his flick and turn taking him into open space on the right side of the box, squaring the ball across the goalmouth for Michael Turner to tap-in from close-range after a Grabban touch.
The Canaries weren’t done just yet, however, Jerome picking up a beautiful pass from Martin, making an excellent run to see him round David Marshall, and finishing coolly into an open net to kill the game off in the 87th minute.
Norwich City XI: Ruddy, Martin, Turner, Hooiveld, Olsson, Tettey, Johnson, Lafferty (Jerome, 45), Hoolahan (O’Neil, 83), Redmond (Garrido, 88), Grabban
Subs not used: Whittaker, Murphy, Rudd, Odjidja-Ofoe
What happened next?
The Canaries went on to finish third in the Championship in their first season back to the second division after relegation, beating Ipswich and Middlesbrough in the play-offs to earn a place back in the Premier League in the 2015-2016 season.
Cardiff struggled a bit more on their return to the Championship, finishing mid-table at eleventh-place after 16 wins, 14 draws and 16 losses.