1 – Sorensen’s big moment
Jacob Sorensen had only been on the pitch for 10 minutes when he had one of the greatest footballers ever to play the game charging towards him.
With some trademark stepovers to test the Dane as he got stuck into his unexpected Premier League challenge as a centre-back, the 23-year-old calmly took the ball from Cristiano Ronaldo like a seasoned top-flight defender.
His personal victory drew one of the loudest Carrow Road cheers of the evening, leaving the superstar frustrated as Sorensen stepped into the breach yet again for City.
He played all of the 6-0 thrashing of Bournemouth in the League Cup in August but had since made just one brief cameo in the Premier League, having only started two of the final 21 games of last season too.
To cope so admirably against top attacking players has only enhanced his cult status further and increased desire to see him get a chance as a defensive midfielder.
2 – Superstar theatrics
Tim Krul did his best to unnerve Ronaldo, pointing to the top-left corner after whipping up the River End ahead of the decisive penalty – but CR7 expertly sent City’s keeper the wrong way.
According to Transfermarkt, that was the 143rd penalty of the Portugal superstar’s career, from a ludicrous 802 goals in 1,099 games for club and country. He’s missed 28 penalties.
To put that into context, Norwich City have played 1,069 matches in the top flight in their history and scored 1,206 goals.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s legendary status is undoubted and the theatrics have always been part of his brilliant game. He collapsed like an England batsman Down Under at the slightest tug from Max Aarons.
With the accompanying scream of injustice befitting panto season, Ronaldo made the most of Aarons’ naivety, knowing he wasn’t going to win the ball. All that was missing was the accompanying wink that Wayne Rooney knows all too well.
3 – One rule for them...
Would Norwich have been given a penalty for the same scenario? We’ll never know the answer but referee Darren England was cheered ironically after finally booking a United player in the 77th minute.
The visitors committed 17 fouls, only Leeds (27) and Brighton (21) committed more against City this season, earning four and five yellow cards respectively at Carrow Road.
So when Billy Gilmour smashed a shot against the arms of Diogo Dalot in the 81st minute, perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise that the referee didn’t seem interested in awarding another penalty. Norwich, unlike Ronaldo, didn’t protest furiously.
It was unclear if a VAR check was performed but the question for the officials was, as defined in the laws of the game, did Dalot make his body ‘unnaturally bigger’?
As ever, such decisions are subjective. His arms were swinging in front of his body as he turned his back to block the shot and clearly stopped the ball from flying towards goal.
4 – Digging deep
This defeat must be framed in the context of depleted resources for City, although it should also be remembered that United were without Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial due to injury.
With Mathias Normann, Milot Rashica and Christoph Zimmermann already out injured and Brandon Williams ineligible against his parent club, additional fitness issues for Ben Gibson and Andrew Omobamidele and a positive Covid-19 test for Christos Tzolis forced five changes.
That meant an earlier than scheduled return to the squad for Sam Byram after 20 months out of first-team action. It also saw 19-year-old academy defender Jonathan Tomkinson named on the bench, fresh from extending his contract until 2024.
The substitutes were joined by Williams in a small-sided game in the pouring rain after full-time at Carrow Road, with assistant head coach Craig Shakespeare ensuring everyone is sharp ahead of the visit of Aston Villa tomorrow, with Grant Hanley added to the injury list.
5 – Classy Kabak
Although Sorensen inevitably drew praise for his unexpected shift, Ozan Kabak also stood up to be counted when the going got tough.
It’s been a frustrating start to life at Norwich for the 21-year-old Turkey international, initially starting six games on the spin but then missing three due to glandular fever and returning to the bench at Newcastle and Tottenham.
The Schalke loanee didn’t look like a man seeing action for the first time in a month though, with determined blocks and committed tackles throughout, forcing a superb save from David De Gea in the 78th minute as he leapt majestically above Harry Maguire to head down a Gilmour free-kick.
He also drew a huge cheer early in the second half for superb tracking back and an immaculate sliding tackle to deny Rashford, not knowing the forward was offside. This was evidence of the player that Jurgen Klopp has spoken so highly of.
6 – Response needed
Among the substitutes being worked hard by Shakespeare in the rain were Todd Cantwell and Kieran Dowell, fresh from seeing Przemek Placheta emerge from the shadows to start ahead of them.
Both had finished last season’s Championship fun in fine fettle but have struggled to reproduce their creative abilities in the top tier, with the formations used rarely fitting a ‘number 10’ playmaker.
It seems they must persuade Dean Smith that they can do the job out wide. Josh Sargent again offered admirable work rate and protected Giannoulis well on the left but doesn’t appear to have the magic in his boots that Cantwell and Dowell are capable of.
Cantwell touched the ball just 12 times in his 25 minutes from the bench, winning a couple of free-kicks but also being relieved to see a United counter thwarted by a Pierre Lees-Melou foul on Fred in injury-time, after he had lost possession.
Both players need to find the next gear if they are to convince their new boss.
NCFC EXTRA: Confidence key to winger building on surprise start
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