The extent to which Spurs failed to recover from Thursday’s Europa League match in the Ukraine is arguable, but the simple truth is this was a defeat Tim Sherwood’s side almost certainly could not afford if they were to retain a serious chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League. While still fifth, they are now six points behind Liverpool, and with such an inferior goal difference it is effectively seven.

More to the point as far as Norwich manager Chris Hughton is concerned, however, is that Robert Snodgrass’s well-taken goal shortly after half-time, has almost certainly kept the Londoner in his job. In the run-up to the game, Canaries’ chief executive David McNally openly admitted the club was actively examining the market for a potential successor. Celtic’s manager Neil Lennon, who McNally got to know well in his previous job as commercial director with the Glasgow club, was among those under consideration.

Given many Norwich supporters would suggest much of Hughton’s time in charge has been characterised by caution, in terms of both selection and tactics, it was not entirely surprising that his chosen line-up featured just one striker, though the fact it was Ricky van Wolfswinkel instead of Gary Hooper raised a few eyebrows.

The Dutchman, for whom City paid £8.5m during the summer, has scored just once in his 17 appearances (including ten starts) for the Canaries this season, something of a contrast to the recent record of opposite number Emmanuel Adebayor, who has scored nine in 13 appearances since being brought back into the team by Sherwood last November.

Having been spared the taxing midweek trip to Dnipro in the Europa League, Adebayor, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and winger Aaron Lennon were all recalled by Sherwood as he sent his team out in search of what would have been the eighth win from 13 Premier League games he has overseen.

Van Wolfswinkel spurned a decent chance as early as the second minute, when Spurs failed to clear a Robert Snodgrass corner. Perhaps typically, van Wolfswinkel failed to connect first with his head, and then with his foot.

At the other end Mousa Dembélé’s touch proved similarly poor when Lennon’s through ball put him clear, but Sherwood was forced into an early re-organisation when Étienne Capoue limped off. Nacer Chadli replaced the Frenchman.

Norwich’s pressing was making the game scrappy, which suited their purpose admirably. Spurs looked out-of-sorts and at times, distinctly uneasy. Sébastien Bassong nearly turned in a Snodgrass cross, and van Wolsfwinkel should have at least got a shot away when an awkward bounce deceived Michael Dawson, but as the half progressed, so the general standard of play declined. At half-time neither side had managed an effort on target.

The second half was a different matter. It had barely begun when Danny Rose was caught in possession, and the Spurs left-back was still chasing back to cover when Bradley Johnson slipped the ball through for Snodgrass to curl a low shot neatly beyond Lloris and inside the goalkeeper’s right-hand post.

Still Spurs struggled to find any sort of rhythm, though they picked up their efforts in the search, and City goalkeeper John Ruddy had to leave his line quickly to get to the ball before the hitherto anonymous Adebayor.

Sherwood sent on Roberto Soldado for Paulinho, and the Spaniard immediately missed Spurs’ best chance of the game, firing over after being nicely set up by Adebayor.

Snodgrass, whose form has improved noticeably in recent games, curled a free-kick wide, but Chadli should have equalised when slipped through by Dembélé. Instead he shot straight at Ruddy, who blocked.

Johnson, increasingly confident, all but made the game safe when he thumped a free-kick against the underside of the bar.

• Norwich City
• Tottenham Hotspur
• Premier League

Richard Rae

theguardian.com