On this day in 2019, we drew 1-1 with Wigan Athletic and it was a key match for Norwich City’s promotion hopes to the Premier League in the 2018/19 season.
What was on the line?
Norwich were unbeaten in their last nine matches, winning the previous eight games before the trip to Reading ended in a draw after a late goal from the Royals.
Promotion to the Premier League was just around the corner for the Canaries, with the Canaries needing four wins out of their last six games to get out of reach of Sheffield United.
How the game unfolded
Norwich started the game well with Teemu Pukki being denied his 27th goal of the season after Danny Fox’s goal-line clearance.
Wigan fought back, testing Tim Krul with a Lee Evans’ header midway through the first-half before Ben Godfrey was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box after Sam Morsy’s shot deflected off his knee onto his arm.
Current Chelsea and England full-back Reece James slotted the penalty away past Tim Krul just before half-time.
Daniel Farke then made a triple substitution in the 76th minute in order to try to get the Canaries back into the match, which proved to pay off five minutes later as Pukki, recently crowned Championship Player of the Season, managed to get his 27th goal of the campaign, slotting past Christian Walton in the Wigan net after being played through by Kenny McLean.
Norwich XI: Krul, Lewis (Leitner 76), Godfrey, Zimmermann, Aarons, McLean, Trybull (Vrancic 76), Hernandez, Stiepermann, Cantwell (Rhodes 76), Pukki
Unused Substitutes: McGovern, Klose, Hanley, Srbeny
What happened next?
Norwich went on to draw their next two matches of the season against Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City 2-2.
City then beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 in their final home game, securing promotion to the top flight and then winning at Villa Park 2-1, lifting the title on the final match of the season.
Article by James Hicks