Greater escapes have happened. Teams have pulled back from grimmer positions than this. Two factors continue to play in Norwich’s hands, that their run-in is – relatively – gentle and that three of the other strugglers who have returned from shutdown with the haunted look of the doomed. But still, after the great reset, if you were planning to stay up you probably wouldn’t start this final quarter of the season with a pair of home defeats to Southampton and Everton.All teams will have their tales of woe, their theories as to how they were the ones who really suffered from lockdown and the absence of fans, but Norwich’s perhaps rings truer than most. All five of their scheduled home games by the time of the restart were against teams currently in the bottom half of the table; the loss of home advantage perhaps has afflicted them more than most. It’s hard to claim a 3-0 defeat to Southampton would have been different with fans but this might have been. Drab games have sputtered along in front of the most passionate crowds, but this was one of those matches that felt like it needed something, anything, to shake it from its drift. Related: Norwich City v Everton: Premier League – live! Continue readingreadfullarticle
