Grant Hanley own goal ends Huddersfield drought as Norwich drop points

Posted Thursday, March 16, 2023 by PA

Norwich captain Grant Hanley’s own goal helped Huddersfield earn a 1-1 draw and move off the bottom of the Championship table.

The Terriers went into the contest having gone four games without a league goal – equalling their longest run since 2000 – and away goalkeeper Angus Gunn was not called into making a save on Wednesday evening.

But the unfortunate Hanley saw the ball ricochet off him into his own net from a yard after Martyn Waghorn’s second-half lob had hit an upright.

And a frustrating night for the visitors was compounded when Marquinhos was sent off for an alleged elbow on Josh Ruffels in the second minute of stoppage time.

Earlier, the play-off chasing Canaries had taken a 1-0 lead into the break following Brazilian attacker Gabriel Sara’s third goal in four outings.

But David Wagner, returning to the club he won promotion to the Premier League with in 2017, was forced to settle for a share of the spoils.

Norwich dominated possession during the opening exchanges and went close just before the quarter-hour mark when Kenny McLean and Josh Sargent traded passes through the left channel only for the former to drill an eight-yard effort across the face of goal.

Midway through the first half, centre-back Ben Gibson then carried the ball down the middle of the pitch unopposed before trying his luck with a rising 25-yard drive that Tomas Vaclik tipped over.

Moments later, McLean’s near post-header from Sara’s corner went the wrong side of the post before the Canaries took a deserved 26th-minute lead.

The impressive McLean was again involved sending Adam Idah sprinting down the left flank with Rarmani Edmonds-Green in hopeless pursuit.

Idah’s cross to the far post was subsequently met with a controlled side-footed volley by Sara from eight yards out.

The Terriers managed their first goal attempt of the night just past the half-hour but Ben Jackson’s edge-of-the-box strike was deflected away from the visitors’ goal.

Seconds after the interval, Sara fired wide from 20 yards before Huddersfield’s first spell of sustained pressure led to a couple of chances at the other end of the pitch, but Waghorn’s free-kick cleared the crossbar and Danny Ward’s angled drive was blocked and diverted past the near post by Max Aarons.

The hosts then levelled in the 65th minute when Josh Koroma won a tackle on the right flank and the ball broke for Waghorn on the edge of the penalty box. He lofted a measured chip over an out-of-position Gunn and, after the ball hit the keeper’s right-hand post, it struck a helpless Hanley and bounced back across the line.

Going back on the offensive, the Canaries saw a Teemu Pukki shot kicked over the bar by home midfielder Jack Rudoni.

Moments later, Rudoni almost made his presence count at the other end, narrowly clearing the crossbar from just outside the penalty area.

Substitute Christos Tzolis’ near-post drive was then kept out by Vaclik before Marquinhos saw red at the death.