Norwich City 2-1 Plymouth: Davitt Championship pointers

1. On moments like these, seasons tilt

The roar that greeted Ashley Phillips' touch to divert Sam McCallum’s flick over his own line to put Norwich in front was loud and it was proud. All that pent up frustration released on the pitch and the terraces after a script that was not going to plan for David Wagner’s promotion hopefuls.

If anything it looked like the Morgan Whittaker show all over again, after Plymouth’s hat-trick hero from the 6-2 mauling had stooped to put them in front at Carrow Road.

The visitors then proceeded to belie their lowly status with a committed, cohesive approach out of possession, and that enduring threat on the counter with Whittaker or the physicality of Ryan Hardie.

Norwich had their moments prior to the interval; notably Josh Sargent’s shot brushing Alfie Devine and clipping the outside of a post.

But when the American notched yet again in his personal crusade to make a late push to top the Championship goalscoring charts the wind was at Norwich’s backs. With West Brom dropping points at Millwall earlier in the day, fifth, let alone sixth, feels within the grasp of the Canaries.

They head to faltering Leicester on Easter Monday now just three points behind the Baggies, and four clear of seventh-placed Coventry City. The FA Cup semi-finalists may have a game in hand but with each passing victory Wagner and his squad are turning the screw.

Look back at any successful promotion season and you will find moments like that two goal burst in seven second half minutes. Time will tell if this was another.

2. Home comforts

A seventh straight league win at Carrow Road and Ipswich Town next up. What a remarkable turnaround from this time last season when City could not buy a goal, let alone a win in front of their own long-suffering supporters.

The current run is now only surpassed in the last 15 years or so by a rich 11-game winning streak under Paul Lambert in the League One title charge.

This arguably felt like the deepest Wagner and his squad had to dig since dropping points to Southampton on New Year’s Day.

Sunderland was a grind. Watford was the night when Wagner had his very vocal right of reply to the catcalls around his in-game substitutions, but for a good hour or so between Whittaker’s opener and Sargent’s leveller, for long spells it was an afternoon of pure frustration. Much of Norwich’s attacking play was fitful and laboured.

But when you have been on such an unblemished victory lap at home those fans – bar the isolated but audible urges for more urgency in certain phases - kept firmly believing as much as the players.

There was almost an inevitability to the final outcome once Sargent had smashed Norwich level. The levels of self-belief are off the chart at present, and with what lies ahead that ability to go the well when required will be vital to face down adversity again.

3. Sizzler Sainz

No goal or assist for Borja Sainz but if ever you wanted a demonstration of why Norwich were so keen to avoid that potential recent Middlesbrough four-game suspension absence this was it.

Even in a frustrating first half, the Spanish wide player was a stand out performer in his ability to drive with the ball to get Norwich up the pitch, and commit back-pedalling Plymouth defenders. Only the outstretched boot of Lewis Gibson denied him a first half leveller, after one of those mesmerising close control runs.

Then deep in first half stoppage time he superbly plucked a raking clearance from Norwich’s defence out of the air and was able to squeeze a ball through the legs of the last Argyle defender, but agonisingly behind Sargent, who would have a had a routine tap in if he had delayed his run a fraction of a second.

Certainly in the absence of the injured Jon Rowe he is a precious commodity to Wagner. Particularly when space is at a premium and, as it unfolded in this game, opponents have something to protect on the scoresheet.

When he lashed over in the 66th minute, from the same area of the pitch he sealed a previous home win over Coventry City, you feared it was not going to be the 23-year-old’s or the Canaries’ day. But a minute later they were level, and the rest is now history.

4. The big build up

Not Marcelino Nunez’s day on a personal level for the Canaries. The ineffective Chilean was withdrawn before the hour mark for Christian Fassnacht, who then had a pivotal role in Sargent’s second half equaliser.  

Nunez returned to Norfolk after a midweek goalscoring impact for his country against a world class French outfit. But quite what Wagner made of an international workload that included more than 150 minutes on the pitch in two friendlies for his country I think we can all guess. The German did confirm after this game the tank was empty after Nunez had admitted to feeling tiredness on his reappearance at Colney.

The south American, like his team mates in the first half at Carrow Road, looked leggy after a bright start was curtailed by Whittaker’s opener.

But there is no question the 24-year-old is in the most consistent seam of form since he alighted in Norfolk two summers ago. Nunez’s calmness and composure on the ball has dovetailed well with the athleticism and experience of Kenny McLean.

It should also not be underestimated the impact it has had in releasing Gabby Sara to roam further forward with less of the defensive responsibility from a deeper-lying midfield role. But Plymouth did an excellent job of suffocating the space Nunez relishes to connect the dots.

 "What he has improved very, very much is his ball possession," said Wagner, ahead of this game. "He very rarely makes unforced errors, he's very reliable on the ball.

"The biggest progression he's made has been in being reliable in ball possession. All the other stuff was always there."

It will be interesting to see now if Nunez gets another start at Leicester on Monday, after his gruelling international shift. That could underline just how important he has become.