1 min
Brentford fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat away to Norwich City in a top of the table clash at Carrow Road.
Teemu Pukki nearly unlocked the Bees defence after just two minutes, but his chipped effort skewed wide after David Raya closed him down well.
Brentford responded with a good counter-attack on eleven minutes as Bryan Mbuemo’s cross was parried back into the middle, but Sergi Canos tripped at the crucial moment to let Norwich off the hook.
It proved costly as Emiliano Buendia opened the scoring for Norwich against the run of play on 26 minutes with a delightful finish from just outside the box.
And Pukki could have doubled the advantage just moments before the break, but once again Raya stood his ground and denied the forward.
The second-half saw Norwich control the game, engineering a number of good chances but unable to put the game out of Brentford’s reach due to a combination of wastefulness and excellent goalkeeping from Raya.
The result means the gap at the top widens as Norwich go ten points clear at the top on 73 points with Brentford remaining in second.
Key Points
Check out all the key talking points and reaction from London Football Scene below…
Key Moment
Emiliano Buendia’s first-half strike gave the Canaries a lead they never looked like relinquishing.
Moan of the Match
After Norwich’s goal, the desire to get back into the game never materialised for Brentford with the lack of intensity both disappointing and frustrating.
Talking Point
With Norwich City now ten points clear at the top, are Brentford’s title hopes done and dusted?
Man of the Match
David Raya – the scoreline would have been much worse if it weren’t for some goalkeeping heroics, including one important stop at the end of the first-half.
Tweet of the Match
Referee Watch
Tim Robinson (West Sussex) – awarded a lot of cheap free-kicks, but was at least consistent about calling them throughout the match.
Atmosphere
You can’t question Brentford’s quality but tonight their intensity was lacking – something a fervent away following may have helped them find on an otherwise low-key night.
Verdict
This did not look like a matchup between the top two sides in the Championship with the gulf in quality apparent and Norwich deservedly running out winners.
