Krul for the Canaries

6th Round (Quarter Final) Norwich City v Manchester United Saturday 27th June 5.30pm Eventually, after a 3 month hiatus due to Covid, the FA Cup returned.

Although we were unable to make the journey in person, we continued on the road to Wembley.

Today we sat in our lounge at a virtual Carrow Road. To add a touch of realism, for dinner we had Fisherman's Pie, using the recipe from the classic Complete Cookery Course by Delia Smith.

Live football is a strange experience in lockdown. Sky offers the choice of added sound, reminiscent of canned laughter so prevalent in 1970s sitcoms, or the real atmosphere of an empty stadium, where instructions, encouragement and swearing are audible.

We opted for the latter as it brought memories of those early rounds back in the preliminary stages.

United opened brightly, dominating possession for the first quarter of an hour, looking dangerous as they pressed forward. Norwich were happy to sit back and soak up the pressure, with the occasional foray into the opposition half. When they did break, they used the width well, surging down the flanks, creating several good chances.

Despite their attacking advantage, it took the visitors 22 minutes to create their first real opportunity. McTominay collected the ball with his back to goal and, with a cheeky heel flick, set up Ighalo. His first touch was poor, though, and Krul gathered willingly.

For the remainder of the first period the pattern of play stayed the same. United pressed but were unable to break the resolute Norwich defence, while the Canaries took flight on the wings whenever the opportunity arose. The hosts were nearly rewarded, just before the break, when a scramble in the United area presented several chances, but the ball ended up soaring over the bar. Half Time Norwich City 0 - 0 Manchester United During the interval, we took advantage of the excellent facilities, enjoying hot and cold beverages accompanied by tasty snacks.

As the second half began, the home team changed their approach, playing more positively, clearly buoyed by their performance in the opening 45 minutes.

Unfortunately, this created more space for United to exploit and they capitalised in the 51st minute. For once, the impressive Krul was caught in two minds as the ball came into his area. It bounced kindly for Ighalo, who made no mistake from close range. 0 - 1.

This failed to dent the positivity of the hosts, who continued to seek openings, and they were bizarrely denied an equaliser with 20 minutes to play.

Having won a free kick, Buendia swung the ball into the area which Tettey flicked towards the goal. Unfortunately, Norwich's own Godfrey blocked the ball on the line to maintain United's advantage.

However, with quarter of an hour to go, parity was restored. Cantwell picked up the ball in midfield and unleashed a superb strike from 25 yards, curling the ball away from Romero into the bottom right corner. 1 - 1.

United seemed determined to avoid extra time, with sustained pressure on the Norwich defence.

As full time approached, Fernandez back heeled the ball to Ighalo, who raced towards the Canaries area, with only Klose in his way. As he passed the defender, he was hauled to the ground and the referee had no choice but to brandish the red card.

Fortunately for the hosts, the free kick was poor, rebounding harmlessly off the wall.

Six minutes was added to the 90, during which the ever reliable Krul made two match saving stops to keep his team in the competition. Full Time Norwich City 1 - 1 Manchester United

For the first time since we began our journey in August, a match had gone to extra time.

Much like the first period of the original 90 minutes, Norwich chose to protect their goal for long spells, defending resolutely, with rare advances on the Manchester back row. This strategy contained the United threat for the 15 minutes.

Extra Time Half Time Norwich City 1 - 1 Manchester United

As the final quarter of an hour progressed, United continued to press, demanding a top quality save from Krul in the 112th minute to keep out a powerful Maguire header.

With a couple of minutes remaining, and the managers considering their options for a penalty shoot out, the ball was, once again, pumped into the Norwich area. A scramble ensued, ending when Maguire, finding the ball at his feet, poked home from six yards. 1 - 2.

There was barely any time for a response from the hosts and the visitors were celebrating shortly after.

Extra Time Full Time Norwich City 1 - 2 Manchester United United marginally deserved the win, with more adventure going forward, but Norwich are due a great deal of credit for their resolute defending, effective counter attacking and perseverance until the end.

It was particularly harsh on the outstanding Tim Krul, the Man of the Match, making a series of top drawer saves to keep his side in the hunt throughout. Ratings - Food 10/10 (Thanks for the recipe, Delia. Delicious, cooked perfectly and great value for money); Facilities 10/10 (Clean and comfortable); Atmosphere and entertainment 5/10 (Decent performances from both teams, great strike from Cantwell, but very quiet in the stadium) Attendance 0

Round trip 0 miles

#FACup

Jack and Alex

Newcastle United 0 - 2 Manchester City