Norwich seal Premier League return with swashbuckling win over Blackburn

[#Dobe~ClasSy!☠]

It had been 59 years since Norwich City last savoured promotion in front of their own fans, and as this nervy, narrow victory confirmed their restoration to the Premier League after a three-season absence, Carrow Road convulsed in euphoria.

“Farke’s on a horse,” the fans chanted, in reference to an episode when manager Daniel Farke had marked his farewell at his first club, SV Lippstadt, by riding into the stadium on horseback. Alas, the German did not oblige with a repeat performance, but the breadth of his smile at the final whistle conveyed how much this meant.

This was a deeply precious occasion, even for a club of Norwich’s standing. True, other promotions remained fresh in the memory: Paul Lambert’s success in leading them from the third tier to the first, for example, or a play-off triumph at Wembley under Alex Neil. But, somehow, Farke’s class of 2018-19 have carved out a particular place in club folklore. From the vibrancy of their playing style to their manager’s own cult of personality, they have embedded themselves in Norwich’s hall of fame.

There were not many in this ground who could cast their minds back to 1960, the last time Norwich leapt up a division on home turf. Back then, they had needed a 4-3 win over Southend to be sure, and this duel with Blackburn was similarly edgy.

Norwich had entered the game on the back of four successive draws: they were not so much sauntering across the finish line as falling over it. But finally, and with a maximum of tension, they did it. And to top it all, Ipswich Town, their loathed East Anglian adversaries, had been relegated to League One. Seasons, and Saturday nights, do not come much better in these parts.

As a feat, Norwich’s latest elevation is faintly miraculous. They finished 14th in the Championship 12 months ago, until sporting director Stuart Webber turned eclectic recruitment into an artform. Teemu Pukki, their Finnish striker and top scorer, signed for free after being released by Brondby. Midfielder Emiliano Buendia, their Argentine cult hero, was plucked from obscurity at Spain’s Cultural Leonesa. Seven members of the full squad are German, and another four have played in the Bundesliga, as part of a deliberate policy to incorporate the attention to detail for which that league is known.

But what might look a patchwork quilt is in fact a minor masterpiece. Norwich’s progress is a testament not to bountiful spending but to the most astute scouting. Delia Smith, the club’s joint majority shareholder with husband Michael Wynn-Jones, said: “It’s smiles and tears, all in one go. It’s a beautiful day.”

Throw in the charismatic leadership of Farke, who had first learned of Norwich’s reputation when the club recorded their famous Uefa Cup win over Bayern Munich in 1993, and it is evident the club have found an intoxicating cocktail. “This is a moment full of happiness and pride,” he said. “We have made history today. We have achieved something extraordinary.”

It helped Norwich’s cause that Blackburn were already in late-season mode, with little left to play for. This explained the dozy defending that allowed Norwich an early strike to settle the collective neurosis around Carrow Road. Marco Stiepermann was the man of the hour, turning in a flash on the edge of the area to angle the ball beyond from the diving Jason Leutwiler, in a finish worthy of the league for which he and his team-mates were bound.

Liberated from anxiety, Norwich dialled up the style, courtesy of the irrepressible Mario Vrancic, who unleashed a lethal, bending drive that swerved unerringly into the top corner. A cue for Farke to start preparing the equine celebrations? Not quite. Within moments, familiar jitters returned, as Blackburn roused themselves from their torpor to hit back with almost their first incursion into Norwich’s half. Lewis Travis, picking up the ball 25 yards out, let fly and somehow found the net in scenes that goalkeeper Tim Krul, at fault with his positioning, would not want to see repeated.

Promotions are seldom straightforward, and this second half was a study in controlled agony. Norwich had a plethora of chances to put the outcome beyond doubt, with Onel Hernandez and Jamal Lewis both going close, but still a third would not come. Still, the yellow army consoled themselves, they had the luxury of only needing a point. And as Blackburn’s resistance faded, hope shaded at first into relief, and then into joy unconfined.