Norwich City Secures First Win Under Philippe Clement
Philippe Clement achieved his first victory as manager of Norwich City, leading the Canaries to a 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers and ending a 13-match winless streak.
Emiliano Marcondes opened the scoring for Norwich in the ninth minute with a close-range effort, but the London side equalized just two minutes later through Rumarn Burrell.
Despite being in the relegation zone, the hosts displayed a strong performance, scoring twice within three minutes in the first half to secure their first victory since August 30.
First, QPR's Amadou Mbengue inadvertently turned a corner into his own net, followed by Amankwah Forson, who scored with a superb curling shot.
Josh Sargent had a fourth goal disallowed for offside in the 60th minute, as Clement celebrated his first win in his third match in charge of Norwich.
While the Canaries remain second from bottom in the Championship, this victory narrows the gap to safety to four points. QPR, on the other hand, suffered their first loss in four matches, dropping to 13th place.
Norwich had not gone 14 games without a win since April 1998 and were determined to avoid matching that record as Forson and Sargent created early chances.
Marcondes earned the hosts a well-deserved lead, capitalizing on a corner. Although his initial shot was blocked, Ruairi McConville assisted him, allowing Marcondes to fire low into the net from six yards out.
However, Norwich's defensive vulnerabilities reappeared shortly after, with Burrell equalizing by getting ahead of his marker to convert Sam Field's cross.
Norwich showed renewed attacking intent, with QPR goalkeeper Paul Nardi making a fantastic save to deny Kenny McLean’s deflected effort in the 19th minute.
After failing to score more than once in a match since September 20, Norwich solidified their lead with two quick goals just after the half-hour mark.
Mbengue's own goal came when McLean’s corner evaded the players at the near post and struck him three yards out. Forson then capped a brilliant team move involving Oscar Schwartau, Marcondes, and Sargent, curling in a perfectly weighted left-footed shot to extend the lead to 3-1.
Following the break, the hosts tightened their defense and gained confidence. Sargent thought he had scored again in the 60th minute, tapping in Schwartau's cross, but was ruled offside.
Substitute Jacob Wright's header forced Nardi into another excellent save ten minutes from full-time, and he also stopped Shane Duffy's header from the subsequent corner.
Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement commented to BBC Radio Norfolk:
"It’s not about me; that’s not so important. I knew that if we worked hard, this moment would come. It’s more important for the players, the club, and the fans. What you saw during and after the game was the synergy that was lost a few weeks ago. It’s back now, and they see a team fighting and playing good football. Of course, we can still improve, but the players’ mentality is positive to earn these three deserved points."