Filed under: Norwich, Carling Cup, League One, Premier League, Football, Match Reports
Premier League newcomers Norwich were given a Carling Cup runaround on their own pitch by League One leaders MK Dons, who ran out 4-0 winners.Manager Paul Lambert made 11 changes to the side that had drawn 1-1 with Stoke on Sunday - but five who started had also done so at Wigan on the opening day.
Karl Robinson's League One pace-setters were good value for their two-goal half time lead thanks to quality finishes from Luke Chadwick, the former Norwich player, and Sam Baldock, the forward who is interesting West Ham.
Chadwick made it 3-0 on the hour mark to cap a move worthy of the Premier League but the Dons' fourth, converted by substitute Daniel Powell, was the result of a dreadful error.
GOALS:
21 mins: Dons midfielder Stephen Gleeson latches on to a sloppy pass from Norwich defender Daniel Ayala and sets up Chadwick for a neat finish from the right of the box.
28 mins: Baldock makes it 2-0 with a well-placed drive from the edge of the box after Gleeson had dispossessed Adam Drury and sent him on his way.
60 mins: Chadwick claims his second thanks to Dean Bowditch's pass after Norwich were made to chase shadows in their own box.
67 mins: Substitute Powell latches on to a catastrophic Andrew Surman backpass and makes it 4-0.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
12 mins: Baldock sees his low drive saved by Canaries goalkeeper Declan Rudd after Ayala had gifted away possession from his own box.
23 mins: Dons goalkeeper David Martin comes out to deny Simeon Jackson.
53 mins: Martin tips an Andrew Surman long-ranger over and Zak Whitbread heads wide from the corner.
56 mins: Chadwick fires just over to end a lovely Dons counter attack.
73 mins: Norwich striker Aaron Wilbraham fires a long-ranger just wide from distance.
REACTION:
Lambert made no excuses afterwards.
"It's disappointing. Nothing went right the whole game. We just never got going and credit to MK Dons, they were the better side. Good luck to them, they deserved to go through. We never functioned as a team. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong and it's how we respond from this that matters.
"I'm as disappointed as anyone else. It was a strong side but we were beaten by the better side. They are on top of their respective league on merit and played very well, although we helped them by not getting going at all.
"You learn more about yourselves probably when you lose heavily as a footballer and as a manager. I will take the responsibility because I pick the side so it is my fault when we lose but I have never had a problem with those lads in the two years I have been here. I have never had many of these experiences but when things go wrong it's my fault."
The Scot was confident his side would raise their game for the trip to Chelsea on Saturday.
"I know they will come out on Saturday and give me everything. It's a different game, different atmosphere, different pressure - they will be ready. We are going to one of the favourites to win the league but hopefully it will be something we will relish and we will give it a go."
At least Norwich weren't the only top-flight casualties.
"It took us two years to get to the Premier League and it's the best league in world football. And if you tell me we will get knocked out of the Carling Cup and still be in the league then I'll take it."
Dons assistant manager John Gorman backed Robinson to follow the Lambert route to the top.
"I would like to see him following in Paul Lambert's footsteps with the two promotions from our league because he's that good. Tonight we were proud as a staff of the way our team played.
"It's what we try to achieve every game. That style of football is what we do week in, week out. We just want to continue playing like that. Since the start of the season we have played really well and made chance after chance and it's no coincidence that we have scored so many goals.
"Once we got our noses in front we won the game comfortably in the end. The whole team played exceptionally well and we actually believed they could. We have got the makings of a good side, like Norwich."
WHAT IT MEANS: That MK Dons are a club on the up and will certainly be in the Championship next season if they can replicate this stunning early form throughout the season. As for Norwich, this was no shadow side but having just arrived back in the Premier League it is understandable why the cups are so down their list of priorities and it showed in the players' performances.
NORWICH 0 MK DONS 4 (Chadwick 21, 60, S Baldock 28, Powell 67)
PLAYER MARKING:
Norwich (4-4-2): Rudd 7; R Martin 6, Whitbread 7 (Lappin 71, 5), Ayala 4 (de Laet 78, 5), Drury 5; K Smith 5, Fox 6, Hoolahan 6 (Morison 63, 5), Surman 6; Jackson 6, Wilbraham 5.
Subs (not used): Ruddy, Johnson, Holt, Bennett.
MK Dons (4-4-2): Martin 8; A Smith 7, MacKenzie 7, Williams 7, Lewington 7; Chadwick 9, Potter 6, Gleeson 9, Bowditch 7 (Powell 63, 7); Ibehre 5 (Balenta 46, 6), S Baldock 8 (O'Shea 77, 5).
Subs (not used): McLoughlin, Chicksen, Flanagan, G Baldock.
REFEREE: Mark Haywood
ATTENDANCE: 13,009
MAN OF THE MATCH: Luke Chadwick (MK Dons) The former Manchester United man is still a class act, as another of his former clubs discovered.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/08/23/norwich-0-mk-dons-4-paul-lamberts-team-are-humbled-at-home/
Hernan Crespo Hunter Mahan Iker Casillas Ivan Ljubicic Jamie Carragher
No comments:
Post a Comment