Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Norwich City and Plymouth Argyle at Carrow Road on Good Friday | An Ashley Phillips own goal and a strike from Josh Sargent seal a comeback win for the Canarie
Friday 29 March 2024 18:27, UK
Norwich maintained their Sky Bet Championship play-off push as they saw off plucky Plymouth 2-1 to make it seven successive home wins in the league.
The struggling visitors stunned the Canaries by taking in the lead after 10 minutes as Morgan Whittaker headed home his 20th goal of the season.
But David Wagner's side, who had lost 6-2 at Plymouth earlier in the season, responded well to the setback and two goals in seven second-half minutes, from top scorer Josh Sargent and an Ashley Phillips own goal, settled a hard-fought encounter in which the relegation threatened Pilgrims played their part.
Plymouth found themselves on the backfoot from the off but managed to take the lead from their first attack.
An impressive switch in play from Alfie Devine allowed Matthew Sorinola to make ground down the right flank before crossing for Whittaker to find the bottom corner with a powerful header.
Norwich had a chance to hit back a few minutes later when Sargent burst through but a superb last-ditch block from Phillips snuffed out the danger.
Sargent later hit the post with a deflected drive from a Gabriel Sara corner, while on the stroke of half-time Borja Sainz got to the byline, only to fail to pick out an unmarked Sargent, who would have had a simple tap-in.
Plymouth were largely on the defensive, although they nearly made it 2-0 after 37 minutes when Ryan Hardie skipped past keeper Angus Gunn only to miss the target from a narrow angle.
Norwich continued to dominate after the break and deservedly got back on level terms after 67 minutes from a clever short corner routine.
Substitute Christian Fassnacht picked out the deep lying Sargent with a low delivery and the United States international had the space to sweep home his 14th goal of the season.
The Canaries now had the bit between their teeth and seven minutes later took the lead from another corner.
This time Sara took it and his conventional delivery was headed goalwards by Sam McCallum, with Argyle defender Phillips then inadvertently deflecting the ball home from close range.
Gunn produced an excellent block to foil Hardie as Plymouth pressed for an equaliser before an audacious 30-yard free-kick from Sara hit the underside of the crossbar, with Fassnacht's follow-up header going just over.
Norwich's David Wagner:
"It was a big win for us, especially after going behind so early. In the first half I thought we played really well, we didn't let the goal affect us and created lots of chances without being able to take them.
"In the second half we were not so good and sometimes over the course of the season you have to rely on your set-pieces, which we work on very hard.
"Overall it was probably not at the level we have shown over the past few games but once again the players have put in a shift, shown their togetherness to get the result we wanted."
Plymouth's Ian Foster:
"All we ask is that the officials make the right calls and that wasn't the case today. I thought the referee got lots of decisions wrong and two of them were absolutely key decisions in the game.
"For me it was a clear penalty. Their keeper slid in, didn't get the ball and took Alfie out - but he gave a yellow card to Alfie.
"For the corner there was a collision between two of our players and immediately the referee calls the physio on - he doesn't ask if our player needed treatment, which he didn't, he was fine.
"We have to accept responsibility for not defending set-plays properly - but it was still frustrating. I think the loyal fans who travelled all this way to follow their team would have been proud of the performance - I know I am.
"We have spoken about being more ruthless at the key moments in both boxes but overall there were a lot of positives to take from that."
