Ito strikes off the bench as Bolton edge Norwich in seven-goal Carrow Road thriller
Norwich City suffered their second successive 4-3 Sky Bet Championship defeat as Bolton Wanderers prevailed in a breathless seven-goal thriller at Carrow Road on Sunday, with substitute Atsuki Ito scoring the decisive goal midway through the second half.
The Canaries, beaten by the same scoreline at Middlesbrough last Saturday, once again traded blows with their opponents at a remarkable rate before Trotters substitute Ito had the final say with 72 minutes on the clock.
Toure strikes early but exits injured
Norwich took the lead inside five minutes when Andre Brooks slipped in Mo Toure through the inside-right channel, with the in-form Australian striker firing a spectacular first-time effort from just outside the area past Gavin Bazunu. Bolton were level within three minutes, Thierry Gale cutting inside from the left and beating Vladan Kovacevic at his near post with a precise finish.
Toure, whose afternoon was cut short after just a quarter of an hour when he injured his arm falling awkwardly, later had an effort ruled out by a clear-cut offside decision.
Lead changes hands repeatedly
Norwich regained the lead in the 19th minute when a deep corner from Oscar Schwartau was headed home off the upright by centre-half Ruairi McConville, his first goal in Norwich colours. But Bolton levelled again in the 42nd minute after Norwich made a hash of playing out from the back — Max Conway's low cross eventually fell to Gaizka Larrazabal, whose perfectly-struck half-volley from some 20 yards flew into the net.
The visitors went ahead for the first time less than two minutes after the interval, Kyliane Dong playing in Sam Dalby, who produced a neat chipped finish to beat Kovacevic. Norwich replied on the hour when substitute Paris Maghoma swept the ball wide to the fast-breaking Jack Stacey, who burst into the area and fired home off the far post.
Kovacevic made a good reaction stop to deny Larrazabal a quick fourth, but Bolton were soon ahead again as Ito, having only just been introduced, wriggled through the centre of the home defence before calmly finding the bottom corner.
Managers react
Norwich head coach Philippe Clement lamented his side's defensive failings: "There were some good moments for us out there today but obviously everything is overshadowed by conceding four goals. It was a frantic game — and you don't win many games of football if you concede four."
He added: "Their second equaliser was a result of an attacking player only thinking about attacking, not defending, and then we fall apart as a team. There were some hard lessons to be learned but I believe what these guys can do together."
Bolton boss Steven Schumacher hailed his side's resilience: "I was really impressed with the character we showed to get back in the game after twice going behind — and then didn't let it affect us when they got it back to 3-3. We got in front again and then had the energy and resilience to see out the game."
"I am especially pleased for our fans. Nearly 1,000 came down for a Sunday lunchtime kick-off and gave us terrific support and it's obviously nice for them too," he added.