Our under-18s staged a remarkable comeback on Saturday morning, fighting back from three goals down to earn a point in the Premier League Cup.
What happened
We began on the front foot, with Brando Bailey-Joseph looking lively early on. He created our first chance of the match, gliding past two defenders before sending his effort narrowly over the bar.
At the other end, Samuel Onyekachukwu produced a vital block to keep out Jake Glossop’s close-range header, preventing the hosts from taking an early lead.
Norwich eventually found their rhythm, though, and struck twice just before the break. Finlay Corke opened the scoring with a superb long-range effort before adding a second moments later with a composed finish inside the box.
Shortly after half-time, our task became even tougher when Khari Ranson was shown a straight red card for a foul on Rio Mundle. From the resulting free-kick, Finlay Oligbo curled the ball into the top corner to make it 3–0.
Despite the scoreline and being a player down, we refused to give in. Bailey-Joseph sparked the comeback with a powerful strike into the top corner from the edge of the area. Ceadach O’Neill then narrowed the deficit further with a moment of brilliance, spotting the goalkeeper off his line and scoring from the halfway line.
Deep into added time, substitute Bowen Phillips completed the incredible turnaround, reacting quickest in the box to slot home the equaliser and secure a well-earned point.
What it means
Although the comeback showed tremendous character, our Premier League Cup journey ends at the group stage. We finish on four points, unable to progress due to either Peterborough or Stoke topping the group.
What’s next
Focus now shifts to UEFA Youth League action, where several of our under-18s will join the under-19 squad.
We face Bayern Munich at Meadow Park on Wednesday, November 23, with kick-off at 1pm (UK time).
Line ups
Norwich City XI: Binnie, Oligbo, Ozcan, Temi, Rowland, Cooper, Glossop, Sinclair-Brown, Corke, Wilkes, Mundle
Subs: Ruddy, Northover, Steele, Oldfield, Sclare
Arsenal XI: Ranson, King (Lupinski, 48) Pedro, Onyekachukwu, Tahou (Ogunnaike, 46), Murisa, Hamill, Hashi (Phillips, 78) Bailey-Joseph, O’Neill, Thompson (Marciniak, 46)
Subs: Owusu-Gyasi
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