EMI AWARD FOR A LEADING ROLE
Star man Buendia takes Canaries back to the biggest stage
1 Brentford
THOMAS FRANK hailed Norwich as this season’s champions after Emi Buendia’s brilliance downed promotion rivals Brentford.
The Argentine’s 10th goal of the season was enough to shade the clash between the Championship’s top two.
It was the Canaries’ sixth straight win and put them 10 points clear of Brentford, who let slip both automatic promotion and the play-off final last term. Bees boss Frank said: “Congratulations to Norwich, I can’t see them blowing this one. Our performance was good enough to win a lot of games in the Championship, but if you want to win against No.1 you need to perform better.”
Daniel Farke, who took the Canaries up as champs in 2018-19, said: “We are in a great position. We are seven points more than we were this time two years ago.”
Buendia opened up the Bees in the second minute, but Teemu Pukki shot wide.
Sergi Canos should have fired the visitors ahead in the 10th minute when home keeper Tim Krul spilled
Bryan Mbeumo’s cross right at his feet. Somehow the Spaniard, who had a short, unsuccessful stint at Norwich in 2016, scuffed horribly wide. Buendia made him pay in the 26th minute.
Canos surrendered possession and was then shrugged off by the South American playmaker as he cut in from the left.
Mads Bech Sorensen and Vitaly Janelt were also left trailing as Buendia fired a low left-footer into the bottom corner.
Buendia’s brilliant ball in first-half stoppage time sent Pukki cantering clear but the
Finn saw David Raya stick out a mitt to make a vital save. And Raya denied Pukki again soon after the break.
Brentford put the hosts under huge late pressure but Ivan Toney, the league’s top marksman, fired wide in a frantic finale.
NORWICH: Krul 6, Aarons 7, Hanley 7, Gibson 7, Giannoulis 7, Skipp 8, McLean 7, Buendia MOTM 9, Vrancic 7 (Rupp 69, 5), Hernandez 6 (J Sorensen 83), Pukki 6 (Hugill 87) BRENTFORD: Raya 8, Dalsgaard 7, Reid 6 (Roerslev 76), Pinnock 7, M Sorensen 6, Jensen 7, Janelt 6 (Norgaard 67, 5), Ghoddos 6 (Forss 76), Mbeumo 7, Toney 6, Canos 5 (Fosu 67, 5)
REFEREE: Tim Robinson