Norwich City vs Manchester City at Carrow Road
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Carrow Road
Referee : Kevin Friend
14th September 2019 5:30 PM (BST)
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3 Norwich City
- ‘18' Kenny McLean
- ‘28' Todd Cantwell
- ‘50' Teemu Pukki
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2 Manchester City
- ‘45' Sergio Agüero
- ‘88' Rodrigo
#mancity
Commentary By David Clayton @mancity
OK folks, disappointing day, but it's a long season and this game will quickly be forgotten. We're back in action on Wednesday away to Shakhtar, so see you then. Thanks for tuning in today...
Pep reaction
"It is football – we had many chances today, they had three or four and scored three goals. The first one was a set-piece we didn’t defend, the second we were caught on the counter-attack and the third came from a mistake, but we know what we are as a team, we know what we have done and we know what we are going to do. I love my players and it’s a pleasure to be with them."
Pep's post-match thoughts coming up before we wrap up and move on
It will be interesting to see what Pep made of this. Defensively, we were far from our best and two of the goals were from errors. Still, if you're going to get a bad day at the office out of your system, do it early in the season
Home fans go nuts and Pep out congratulating the home players. Who would have called this? We looked leggy and not ourselves today and we have slipped five points behind Liverpool. It is very early days yet, but this is not a game City would have looked at and thought we would have headed home empty-handed
Full time
That's it... all over
Sterling fires another shot but it's straight at Krul again - that's happened too often today
Jesus hits a low shot in but there was no power - whistle will go anytime now
Aguero goes close - we're into stoppage time... one more chance, Blues, come on
Another corner
Cleared, but City come again
Corner to City!
Come on Blues! Three minutes plus stoppage time left
Rodrigo with a powerful drive - did I speak too soon?
Sterling cuts inside and fires a shot that Jesus gets a touch on - Aguero says he should have left it for him and we're now looking at a damaging loss here
Gabriel Jesus battles valiantly but is eventually blocked in his efforts to shoot
Forget that - it goes out for a goal-kick
We have a corner - this needs to go in I reckon
Walker gives away a free-kick on the corner of the box but it is gathered by Ederson - 10 minutes left - a goal in the next couple of minutes would make it interesting but time is against us here
Great chance for Aguero as the cross came in from Sterling but he needed a gentle skim to take it over Krul but go too much on it
The home fans can smell victory and City have lost their momentum at the moment
Bernardo goes off, Mahrez on
Norwich have a free-kick 30 yards out
There is still time here... but we need one back soon. Mahrez coming on
Sterling holds on a fraction too long as City had men over and his pass to Bernardo is too late and Norwich clear
Otamendi's header is straight at Krul
City win a corner after a nice move between De Bruyne and Sterling
McLean booked for a late challenge on Rodri
De Bruyne's whipped in free-kick almost finds its way past Krul who gathers at the last moment on his line
City swarming over Norwich - it's hard to see them keeping us out for another 30 minutes
Lovely through pass by De Bruyne sees Sterling in but he runs out of space and Krul knocks it behind
Close! Aguero works himself a yard of space and fires a shot just over but it goes for a corner that is again deflected behind
Substitutions
KDB on Ilkay Gundogan off
Gabriel Jesus on David Silva off
Aguero working hard to get us back in this but he's crowded out as he darts into the box
City need to make a change here - Norwich have the wind in their sails now and it's all self-inflicted I'm afraid. Gab Jesus and KDB about to come on
City win a corner
Awful couple of minutes defensively for City and that comeback has been nipped in the bud
Oh no! Otamendi too slow, dispossessed on the edge of the box and the ball is played to Pukki who slots home
BIG let off for City who get caught on the halfway line and Pukki runs through and puts it just wide
City pinning the Canaries back looking to get back on level terms as soon as possible
KDB warming up...
We're back off....
Incidentally, the last time we were 2-0 down? Last March, against Swansea in the FA Cup. It, of course, ended 2-3 in our favour... same again, please Blues
There was a VAR check on that Stones handball. Well, at least we can say not every VAR check has gone against us!
Kun is also the first City player since Franny Lee in 1971/72 to score in six consecutive top flight matches (including his goal against Brighton last May)
Some nice Aguero stats - he's only the third player in the Premier League era to score consecutively in the first five league games of the season - Jose Antonio Reyes and Wayne Rooney are the other two
Half-time
City back in it with the second-half to come, I think we'll see a different game after the break. Norwich went to sleep there and it's cost them. That said, I still can't believe we're losing this
Great timing by the Blues just before the break - that could make a world of difference
Aguero heads Bernardo's cross home - get in!
Not much coming off for the Blues so far - we've dominated possession but been caught out twice. Is it just going to be one of those days?
Low and ineffective as the ball hits David Silva and goes behind
Corner to City...
I'd say KDB is a must in the second half as there's going to be a lot of hard graft to get back into this
Wow! The ball is almost caught by John Stones (accidentally) from a corner but the referee turns down penalty appeals and there's no VAR check - that could have been curtains!
Home fans are going nuts and no wonder - this was not in the script at all
Sterling rattles the upright - so close!
Oh dear.... City get caught on the counter and Cantwell rolls the ball home from close range. We're in trouble!
Great cross by Sterling who finds Aguero's dart into the box but he heads it just over
Every City cross meets a Norwich head and the home side are defending stoically thus far
Frustrating so far!
Comes to nothing and Norwich clear their lines
So far, the hosts' tactics working well - City can't get in behind the home defence but we have a corner....
Norwich's first attack of any note but they make it count - plenty of time left as Sterling fires a shot wide from 20 yards
You really didn't see that coming!
Norwich win a corner...
David Silva gets crowded out on the edge of the box again - he has three players around him time and time again
Bernardo works himself a yard of space and whips in a cross but he overcooks it and it goes out
Norwich work the ball out of defence patiently and look confident and willing to take a few risks
The Canaries keeping it compact in the middle of the pitch, letting City have plenty of possession but you could throw a blanket over seven or eight of their players when we get near the edge of the box
Lots of space for City to knock the ball around - Brighton tried a similar tactic in our last game...
Rodri heads a corner goalwards but it's straight at Tim Krul
For those watching in black and white, City are in our changed black kit and Norwich are in yellow and green
We're off...
City fans here in numbers as ever - one of my favourite away grounds this, right up there with Craven Cottage
Great atmosphere inside Carrow Road with the home fans waving thousands of flags and a huge 'Pride of Anglia' flag in the stand to my left
Just a few minutes to kick-off. What's your score prediction?
I feel there will be quite a few goals in this one and that it will be entertaining - but time will tell...
OK, the players are in the tunnel...
Skipper looking for more assists...
He even got one in the Vincent Kompany testimonial in midweek...
Pep's pre-match thoughts...
"Norwich are a really good, attacking side. They are playing the same way they did last season when they won the Championship. Why should they change?"
On John Stones...
"John Stones has nothing to prove - he has done what he's done consistently over the last three seasons. He will have more chances, but we still have huge competition with Fern and guys who have come through the Academy.
"He just has to be himself and he will be fine."
Remember this?
Carloz Tevez completes his hat-trick as City thrash the Canaries 6-1 at Carrow Road on the 2011/12 title run in...
One in 14...
Norwich have beaten City just once in 14 Premier League meetings - a 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium on the final day of the 2012/13 season. Jack Rodwell scored both our goals that day. There have been six draws and seven City wins during that run...
Team news and tactics...
Norwich line-up...
Three changes...
➡️Stones for Laporte
➡️Gundogan for Mahrez
➡️Bernardo for De Bruyne
OK, that starting line-up....
Our starting line-up is just five minutes away... what's your predicted line up?
Have you see Inside City - Episode 353? If not...
Canary woes?
The Canaries have something of an injury crisis at present.
This is how the BBC report it: "Norwich face an injury crisis, with eight players ruled out and Tim Krul, Ben Godfrey and Grant Hanley doubtful.
"Hanley isn't fit to start, so if fellow centre-back Godfrey cannot play then a makeshift defence will be needed.
"Max Aarons, Christoph Zimmermann, Mario Vrancic, Moritz Leitner and Tom Trybull have all picked up injuries, while Timm Klose and Onel Hernandez remain absent and Patrick Roberts is ineligible."
Chelsea and Spurs running away with it thus far, with Liverpool winning 3-1 earlier today
How the Premier League scores are looking so far...
It wasn't all good news, however...
A few games to catch up on from earlier today, beginning with...
City will be looking to continue a 100% away record this season and make it a perfect 10 of successive Premier League away wins. Chelsea and City hold the current record of 11...
Countdown...
Just under two hours until kick-off at Carrow Road...
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Meanwhile... Follow @ManCityAcademy on Twitter for updates on our two youth games today! 💙
Team news 🗒
John Stones and Gabriel Jesus are both back and in contention for a starting place for the game at Norwich on Saturday.
Having enjoyed a fine preseason, Stones suffered a thigh injury that has kept him out since the win over West Ham on the opening day of the Premier League campaign.
And Jesus has missed the wins over Bournemouth and Brighton after picking up a hamstring strain in training.
But Pep Guardiola has confirmed both are fit and ready to play at Carrow Road – as is Ilkay Gundogan, who had been struggling with a stomach bug in recent days.
Meanwhile, Guardiola says Aymeric Laporte will be out for up to six months, while Benjamin Mendy is doing well after returning from a long-term knee injury.
A metatarsal problem, followed by successive knee injuries, restricted Mendy to just 15 appearances in our Fourmidables campaign and he missed our tour of Asia in order to focus on regaining his fitness.
He is now back in training and looking sharp, but Guardiola admits given the extent of his recent setbacks, his reintroduction to the side will need to be carefully managed.
The boss also gave us an update on Leroy Sane, who suffered a knee injury 12 minutes into our Community Shield victory over Chelsea.
Guardiola says he is now back at the CFA to complete his rehabilitation, with a return early in the new year likely.
It's matchday! ⚽
A very good morning to you on this beautiful sunny day!
The wait is over... City are back in Premier League action today, locking horns with newly-promoted Norwich City at Carrow Road this evening (5:30pm BST).
As always, we'll have all of the pre-match build-up, live coverage and post-match reaction right here on the Matchday Centre so stay tuned... and let us know your thoughts on the game on Twitter using #CMONCITY!
Other games that day
As it stood