Here’s Paul Doyle’s match report.
Meanwhile in the Championship
Middlesbrough have won promotion to the PRemier League and all the riches that go with it. They beat Brighton 1-0 to seal automatic promotion, while the poor old Seagulls will have to go again in the play-offs. You can read all about that one here ...
Chris Sutton speaks
The former Norwich striker tells BT Sport that his old team “are down, make no mistake about that”. They’ll be hoping Newcastle and Sunderland slip up while they win their final two games. They won’t win either if they can’t get any goals.
It was defensive blunder by Sebastien Bassong that cost them any chance of a point against an uninspired Manchester United side today, with Wayne Rooney capatilising on the Cameroonian defender’s mistake to tee up Juan Mata. The little Spaniard was the stand-out player this afternoon, but a tip of the hat too to Memphis, who put in one of the most inept displays I’ve ever seen from a Manchester United player. You’d expect better from a fan who’d won a competition where first prize was the chance to play for Manchester United against Norwich.
Full-time: Norwich City 0-1 Manchester United
Peep! Peep! Peep! It’s all over and Manchester United move to within a point of the top four. Should Arsenal beat Manchester City, their Champions League qualification hopes will be in their hands. For Norwich, things are looking increasingly bleak - you can’t fault their effort, but the quality just isn’t there. They simply can’t score.
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90+5 min: Herrera blasts over the bar after being teed up by Juan Mata as Manchester United attacked on the break.
90+4 min: Olsson plays it long from deep, but the ball finds its way to David De Gea, who’ll be in no big hurry to kick it back out.
90+3 min: Memphis takes the free-kick, curling it up and over the wall. It’s a decent effort, but flashes wide of the upright.
90+1 min: Gary O’Neil gets booked for a challenge on Juan Mata. A replay shows he might have been hard done by. Free-kick for United, just outside the Norwich penalty area. It’s dead centre ...
89 min: The players and fans of Norwich City seem resigned to their fate, if the flat atmosphere at Carrow Road is anything to go by. If they lose this one, they’ll have to win their final games of the season against Watford and Everton to give themselves any chance of staying up. That said, if Newcastle and Sunderland also lose this weekend, it’ll be as you were.
88 min: Twice now, Adnan Januzaj has been told to warm up, before being readied to come on. Twice now he’s had to make the walk of shame back to the dug-out. Manchester United substitution: Michael Carrick off, Timothy Fosu-Mensah on.
86 min: Wayne Rooney picks out Morgan Schneiderlin with a wonderful inch-perfect pass, but in a one-on-one with Ruddy, the midfielder shoots wide.
85 min: Wes Hoolahan beats Borthwick-Jackson down the right and sends a cross into the edge of the six-yard box, where Marcus Rojo clears. Again, the cross was poor - Norwich are so toothless.
83 min: Norwich seem to have visibly deflated since that Mata goal went in, which is no surprise considering they were actually enjoying their best spell of the game when the sucker-punch came.
81 min: Manchester United go forward again, with Memphis on the ball down the left flank. He beats his man, but the ensuing cross is terrible. The young Dutchman puts his head in his hands with embarrassment. He’s having a stinker.
78 min: In fact Norwich City made a double substitution: Graham Dorrans has replaced Jonny Howson. They win a free-kick wide on the right, in line with the edge of the United penalty area. The ball’s sent into the penalty area, where Dorrans wins the header, but can get no direction on the ball. Well wide.
77 min: Man Utd substitution: Morgan Schneiderlin on for Jesse Lingard. Norwich City substitution: Patrick Bamford on for Cameron Jerome.
76 min: Jonny Howson goes down injured after coming out second best from a 50-50 challenge with Michael Carrick.
73 min: Sebasatien Bassong has had a shocker there, hideously misjudging the flight of the ball and enabling Rooney to hare past him into the penalty area. It looked like Bassong might have got away with his rick as Rooney got the ball caught under his feet before he could pull the trigger. Sadly for Norwich, the striker picked out Juan Mata who had sprinted 35 yards to get up in support. The Spaniard couldn’t miss from five yards.
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GOAL! Norwich City 0-1 Man Utd (Mata 72)
72 min: Juan Mata opens the scoring, putting Manchester United ahead after a dreadful mistake by Sebastien Bassong.
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70 min: Mbokani attempts a shot on goal but fires straight at De Gea from a promising position.
69 min: Increasingly, it seems like this match is there for the taking for Norwich, if they can only finish a chance. Manchester United look totally devoid of inspiration and are unlikely to find any on their bench. Gary O’Neil spoons an effort over the bar after good work from Olsson.
68 min: Michael Carrick attempts to quarter-back the ball into the path of Wayne Rooney from just outside the penalty area, but his pass is too heavy and eludes the striker on the left side of the six-yard box.
66 min: Good pressure from Norwich in general and Nathan Redmond in particular. Twice in quick succession the winger ran at the United defence before sending in wayward crosses.
65 min: From a corner, Marcos Rojo attempts to head the ball goalwards. His effort falls short and is heading wide, but almost falls into the path of Chris Smalling. A let-off for Norwich.
63 min: Curiously, it’s Robbie Brady who gets the hook as Dieumerci Mbokani joins Cameron Jerome up front. Norwich could do with Brady’s creativity - I presumed it would be Howson or O’Neil who came off.
62 min: Cameron Borthwick-Jackson flashes the ball acrossd the face of the Norwich six-yard box, but there’s nobody on hand to attack his delivery.
61 min: Dieumerci Mbokani is about to come on for Norwich. Will they leave Jerome on too and bring off a midfielder? We’ll find out very shortly.
60 min: Inside the Norwich City half, assorted Manchester United players pass the ball sideways or backwards five or six times in a row, before somebody picks out Memphis. Needless to say, he loses possession. He has been dreadful today, contributing absolutely nothing.
59 min: Gary O’Neil returns to action and play resumes.
57 min: There’s a break in play as Gary O’Neil goes down holding his back.
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55 min: Actually, “dull” is probably the wrong adjective with which to try to describe this game. It’s been exciting enough, but seems strangely flat. Manchester United have fallen into bad habits and reverted to their pedestrian ways of earlier this season.
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54 min: Martin Olsson charges down the left wing and sends in a cross. David De Gea gathers. There’s a burt of applause from the Norwich fans, who appreciate the innovation, if not the execution.
53 min: With Anthony Martial out, Marcus Rashford watching on TV up in Manchester and Memphis and Wayne Rooney struggling to make any sort of impact on this game, Manchester United are there for the taking if Norwich can raise their game. It’s been surprisingly dull considering how much is at stake for both teams.
52 min: Norwich go forward, with Martin Olsson looping a diagonal ball into the United penalty area. Chris Smalling clears with a meaty header.
50 min: Antonio Valencia gets in behind the Norwich defence and attempts to square the ball. Russell Martin sticks out a leg to make a crucial interception.
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50 min: Wayne Rooney wins a corner for Manchester United - the ball going out of play off Sebastien Bassong. Rooney’s barely had a touch all game.
48 min: Manchester United dawdle towards the edge of the Norwich City penalty area, with Mata, Carrick and Herrera trying to find an opening. Juan Mata plays the ball over the top and it drops kindly for Ander Herrera, who’d given Jonny Howson the slip. He appears to slip as he attempts to volley it goalwards and can only find the side-netting.
Norwich City v Manchester United - second half is go!
46 min: Play resumes at Carrow Road, with no changes of personnel on either side. There are very slim pickings left on the Manchester United bench as far as goal-getters are concerned.
As is customary ...
Hartlepool’s travelling army have gone to their final game of the season in fancy dress. If you don’t smile and go all gloopy inside at the sight of this, you have no soul ...
Hartlepool fans going to Plymouth as stormtroopers, in honour of their team not being able to get a shot on target pic.twitter.com/wsbswWp7SV
— Enough Of That Now (@AndyGilder) May 7, 2016
Half-time at Carrow Road: Norwich City 0-0 Man United
Half-time: The sides troop off for their half-time energy drinks and neither has been particularly convincing. Manchester United have been as pedestrian as feared without Anthony Martial, while Norwich have been content to sit back and attack them on the break.
The relegation-threatened side have looked good going forward, but been very unconvincing in front of goal. Both teams have had chances, but not many. Chris Smalling and Cameron Jerome have missed wonderful scoring chances from headers with a combined distance of less than 10 yards.
Meanwhile on the Manchester United bench, Louis van Gaal’s decision to leave Marcus Rashford up north is looking increasingly like a massive blunder. There may be more to the story than we’re being told, but for now we have to take Van Gaal at his word when he says Rashford is being rested.
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45+2 min: Norwich City break on another counter-attack, but last-second dithering enables Manchester United to regroup. Gary O’Neill was the culprit on this occasion - his delivery into the box lacked anything resembling conviction.
44 min: The referee signals for three minutes of added time. I thought there’d be more, following the break in play when Matteo Darmian had to receive treatment on what looked a potentially long-term injury that could keep him out of Italy’s Euro 2016 squad. They’re being decimated, which is bad news for their unfortunate players, but good news for my brave Republic of Ireland boys.
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43 min: Ivo Pinto goes down injured on the edge of his own penalty area, his knock the legacy of a classy last-ditch covering tackle on Memphis. As he receives treatment, we’re treated to footage of an off-the-ball scuffle between Cameron Jerome and Marcos Rojo that had taken place moments previously.
41 min: Cameron Jerome is sent galloping down the right flank on the counter-attack. He cuts inside and makes his way into the Manchester United penalty area. With Nathan Redmond zooming upfield in support, Jerome runs down a blind alley, comes into contact with Borthwick-Jackson and falls over. His optimistic appeals for a penalty fall on deaf ears.
40 min: It’s Middlesbrough 1-0 Brighton at half-time in the world’s most valuable football match. You can keep tabs on that one with my Scouse mucker Gregg Bakowski.
38 min: Cameron Borthwick-Jackson plays the ball down the left flank for Memphis to chase. He wins a corner off Russell Martin. Memphis sends the ball long and Chris Smalling heads straight into the arms of John Ruddy.
36 min: Memphis steps up and wellies the ball straight into the wall.
35 min: Manchester United win a free-kick straight in front of the Norwich goal, just outside the D on the edge of the penalty area. Mata and Memphis stand over it ...
33 min: Norwich break forward again, with Wes Hoolahan crossing to the far post from the right wing. Antonio Valencia heads clear under pressure from Robbie Brady.
32 min: Norwich City free-kick, wide on the right, a long way out. Robbie Brady curls the ball into the penalty area with his left foot, but it sails far too close to David De Gea and the goalkeeper claims possession under no pressure whatsoever.
31 min: The cameras cut to the Manchester United bench, where Anthony Martial is sitting beside Adnan Januzaj, fiddling with his socks (his own socks). Adnan Januzaj, eh? Remember him?
29 min: From the corner, Chris Smalling out-jumps Jerome and heads over from three yards. Another good chance goes begging.
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28 min: Manchester United free-kick, wide on the right, a long way out. Juan Mata plays the ball into the mixer, where Sebastien Bassong heads the ball over his own bar from a corner.
27 min: Gary O’Neil attempts to dig the ball out from under his feet and fashion a shot on the edge of the Manchester United penalty area. He dilly-dallies a fraction of a second too long and Herrera blocks.
26 min: Martin Olsson wriggles down the left and attempts to pick out Jerome, but Chris Smalling is on hand to intercept and clear. There’s been some really great approach play from the Canaries, but their final ball leaves a lot to be desired.
24 min: Ivo Pinto gets in behind Memphis to control a long ball and curl into the Manchester United penalty area from the right. His delivery is aimed in the general direction of Cameron Jerome, but nowhere near close enough to him for the big man to do anything with it.
23 min: With a quarter of the game gone, neither side are playing particularly brilliantly, but it’s Norwich who’ll be ruing the waste of the stand-out chance - that Cameron Jerome header from four yards after just three minutes.
21 min: “If I was Norwich City’s manager, I’d be tempted to put Nathan Redmond out on that left hand side, just to give Antonio Valencia something to think about,” says BT Sports co-comms guy Trevor Francis. It would certainly help keep the Ecuadorian pinned back a bit.
20 min: Rampaging’s Antonio Valencia and Juan Mata combine well down the right, but are unable to carve out an opening. Norwich clear.
19 min: Memphis wins possession and promptly loses it again - he’s failed to cover himself in glory thus far.
17 min: The game settles back into its rhythm after that interruption and Norwich take the ball forward. Russell Martin loses possession and is penalised for a shove in Jesse Lingard’s back as he attempts to win it back.
15 min: Manchester United soldier on with 10 men as Darmian continues to wait for a stretcher on the touchline. He’s officially replaced by Cameron Borthwick-Jackson. Apologies - I got my double-barrelled substitutes mixed up!
14 min: Norwich City have a free-kick, which Nathan Redmond swings into the penalty area. It’s cleared. Back on the sideline, Matteo Darmian’s day’s work is done - the medics are signalling for a stretcher and Tim Fosu-Mensah is being readied for action.
13 min: There’s a break in play as Matteo Darmian receives treatment on his ankle or achilles . The Italian remains in considerable distress as he continues to receive treatment on the touchline.
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12 min: Matteo Darmian goes down clutching his ankle after coming out second best from a challenge with Ivo Pinto. He looks to be in an awful lot of pain.
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9 min: I’ve seen a couple of replays of that Cameron Jerome header and it will give him nightmares if Norwich fail to win this game. He met the ball perfectly about four yards out and only had to steer his header right or left at David De Gea. Instead, he opted to plant it straight at the goalkeeper, giving him a good chance to stop it.
7 min: Wayne Rooney drills the ball across the face of the Norwich City goal, where it looks as if Juan Mata simply must score from 10 or 11 yards out. He gets his feet in a tangle, allowing Norwich City to scramble clear.
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6 min: Jesse Lingard squanders possession, placing a simple pass to Matteo Darmian out of play for a Norwich throw-in when Manchester United were in a decent position. It’s been a lively start.
3 min: Norwich take the corner, but Cameron Jerome’s attempt to head the ball goalwards is blocked. Moments later he does hit the target, getting on the end of a wonderful Nathan Redmond cross from the left and bringing a wonderful save out of David De Gea from point-blank range. Great stuff from Norwich, who should be ahead. As hard as he works, Jerome just isn’t good enough at finishing when it comes to playing in the Premier League.
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2 min: Manchester United advance again, winning another throw deep in Norwich territory. A cross-field pass from Matteo Darmian is intercepted by Jonny Howson, who sends Robbie Brady away on a counter-attacked. He sprints 40 yards, passing Michael Carrick and others before picking out Nathan Redmond on the right flank. His low cross is put out for a corner.
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1 min: Norwich are immediately forced on to the back foot, with Manchester United winning a throw-in deep inside the home side’s half. Jesse Lingaard picks out Memphis with a pass, but his cross from the left is absolutely atrocious and sails high and wide.
Norwich City v Manchester United is go!
1 min: Play has begun at Carrow Road, where readers who have just joined us will be intrigued to learn that Anthony Martial injured himself in the warm-up and has been replaced by Ander Herrera. Marcus Rashford has been left at home in Manchester, so he can rest. The kid is 18 and made his debut in February - he doesn’t need a rest!
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Not long now ...
The teams emerge from the tunnel into the Spring sunshine, to rapturous clacking from the gizmos Norwich left on each supporter’s seat. Both teams are in their usual home kits, with Manchester United’s players wearing red shirts and Norwich’s kitted out in green and yellow halves. Kick off is just a couple of minutes away.
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Meanwhile on the television
The BT Sport panel of Chris Sutton, Paul Scholes and Michael Owen are wondering where Manchester United’s pace is going to come from now that Anthony Martial is out of the team. They are also understandably baffled by Louis van Gaal’s decision to leave Daley Blind and Marcus Rashford at home resting for a game of such importance. It seems a very odd move on the Dutchman’s part.
Confirmed: Anthony Martial is out
He’ll have to sit this one out and, with no Marcus Rashford in the travelling party, Louis van Gaal will play Ander Herrera instead.
Martial looking unlikely to start
The Manchester United winger pulled-up during the warm-up with a groin or thigh niggle and made his way down the tunnel looking fairly fed up with life. Worryingly for Manchester United, Marcus Rashford has been rested today and is not part of the travelling party and it looks as if Ander Herrera will step in if Martial is unable to play. Presumably that would mean a rejig that would involve Rooney playing as an oput and out striker.
News from the interweb ...
It’s being reported that Anthony Martial has wandered off down the tunnel in the middle of the warm-up and that Ander Herrera is now doing shuttle runs and the like with the first team.
It's as you were for Norwich City ...
Alex Neil fields the same side that lined up against Arsenal at the Emirates last weekend, while Louis van Gaal makes three changes to the Manchester United team that drew with Leicester at Old Trafford. Out go Marcus Rashford, Daley Blind and the suspended Marouane Fellaini, with Memphis, Matteo Darmian and Juan Mata coming in to replace them.
Norwich City v Manchester United line-ups
Norwich: Ruddy, Ivo Pinto, Martin, Bassong, Olsson, Redmond, O’Neil, Howson, Brady, Hoolahan, Jerome.
Subs: Whittaker, Naismith, Mbokani, Bamford, Rudd, Jarvis, Dorrans.
Man Utd: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Rojo, Darmian, Carrick, Lingard, Mata, Rooney, Depay, Martial.
Subs: Januzaj, Romero, Ander Herrera, Schneiderlin, McNair, Borthwick-Jackson, Fosu-Mensah.
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
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Tune in to this week’s Football Weekly Extra
Team news ...
Already missing Alex Tettey (ankle), Timm Klose (knee) and Andre Wisdom (knee), Norwich may have to make do without central defender Ryan Bennett, who missed last week’s defeat at the hands of Arsenal through illness and has been struggling to recover in time for today’s game. “We’ll need to wait and see,” said Neil. “It will be a real last-minute call, it will be determined by how Ryan is feeling and how he feels he can approach the game if he can.”
Manchester United go into this afternoon’s game without Marouane Fellaini, who picked up a three-match ban for playing fast and loose with his elbow in an unseemly tussle with Leicester City’s Robert Huth.
Louis van Gaal speaks
Steering a merciful wide berth of talk of “sex bondage”, Manchester United’s manager opted instead to address the theme of revenge. Specifically, revenge for Manchester United’s defeat at the hands of today’s opponents at Old Trafford back in December. “We have to wіn our matches because otherwise we cannot be іn the first four – that’s the pressure that we have,” he said. “They won at Old Trafford, so we have to take revenge also. It’s always difficult to fight against a team that fights to maintain theіr posіtіon іn the Premier League from relegation. That’s always very difficult to fight against, but that іs not an excuse. We have to cope with that.”
Alex Neil speaks
In his pre-match press conference, Norwich City’s manager didn’t beat about the push when talking about the importance of this afternoon’s match. “Any tіme you are goіng іnto a bіg game іt becomes your biggest game,” he said. “Anything you have done іn your past no-one really cares about any more. It doesn’t become important. So this іs certainly the biggest game of our lives at the moment because іt іs the most relevant for us and іs going to shape the future for us. There іs only two [matches left] for Newcastle and three for us and Sunderland so we know this іs a crunch match for us and we need to try to apply pressure back on the other teams now.”
The tension is building ...
At a time of year when many Premier League matches are of little or no significance, this one is anything but. Both teams have plenty to play for and anything less than a win for either could have disastrous consequences. With three matches left to play (West Ham away and Bournemouth at home are the other two) Manchester United sit in fifth place, four points off the Champions League spot currently occupied by Manchester City, who have played one match more.
Fighting for the Premier League lives, Norwich City are currently second from bottom of the table, a point behind Sunderland and two behind Newcastle, who have played a game more than their two rivals to beat the drop. The scene is set for a nail-biting afternoon at Carrow Road, where two teams who are desperate for as many points as possible will be doing everything they can to win. Or at the very least, not lose. Kick-off is at 12.45pm BST, but we’ll be here earlier with team news and build-up.