Sheffield Wednesday got the better of Norwich after a five-goal thriller at Hillsborough.
Laws celebrates new deal with victory
Sheffield Wednesday got the better of Norwich after a five-goal thriller at Hillsborough.
Marcus Tudgay grabbed the winner for Wednesday late on to help Brian Laws celebrate his new deal in style.
Norwich had led at the break after Tudgay fouled Wes Hoolahan in the area after 42 minutes, allowing Sammy Clingan to score from the spot.
Wednesday stormed back into the game after the break with Tony McMahon and Leon Clarke putting them ahead within 10 minutes of the restart.
Norwich equalised through Leroy Lita on the hour, but the home side were not to be denied in a pulsating second half as Tudgay headed in a Lewis Buxton cross after 71 minutes.
Norwich's misery was compounded when John Kennedy was shown a straight red card 10 minutes from time for hauling down Clarke as the last man.
Norwich had the ball in the net after seven minutes, through Kennedy, but the strike was ruled out after Lita was flagged offside.
It would be the first of eight such misdemeanours by the former Reading striker that threatened to undermine Roeder's gameplan to play him alone in attack.
Wednesday had a goal of their own ruled out for offside when Jeffers was caught in the wrong place before finding the net, but they would go into the break behind following Clingan's penalty after 42 minutes.
Lee Grant did well to save a powerful shot from Lita low to his right, but when the rebound fell to Hoolahan, a panicked sliding tackle from Tudgay brought him down. Clingan then fired the ball home emphatically with Grant diving the wrong way.
Just a minute after the restart, Canaries goalkeeper David Marshall could only punch a Tudgay cross as far as Esajas, who, unmarked, took just a little too long to shoot, and allowed the shot-stopper to recover and make a good block.
Equaliser
The equaliser was not long in coming, however, and it was an Esajas corner after 50 minutes that set up on-loan defender McMahon, whose run into the six-yard box was not checked, allowing him to head home unopposed.
The mood inside Hillsborough was now much improved and the home fans were buzzing five minutes later when Clarke put them ahead.
The 23-year-old striker ran onto a loose ball in the area and while he did not cleanly hit his first-time shot across goal, it had the required power to beat Marshall.
Wednesday were seemingly now in full control, but conceded an equaliser in sloppy circumstances.
The defence failed to mark Lita, who this time had stayed onside, allowing him a clear sight of goal that he duly converted with a low shot that went in off the right-hand post.
Lead
Wednesday recovered their lead in the 71st minute when a Buxton cross somehow found its way to Tudgay at the far post for him to direct a diving header into the net.
Norwich's problems got worse with 10 minutes remaining when Kennedy was shown a straight red card. The defender was the last man when he hauled down Clarke, and despite the infringement occurring only five yards inside his own half, referee Tony Bates felt his dismissal was necessary.
Fittingly, the game ended with Lita finding the net, only to be flagged offside for the eighth time.
