The Tigers were 2-0 winners at Carrow Road to end their 15-year wait for victory
A second-half masterclass from Hull City saw them end their long wait for a win at Norwich City with two goals and a third clean sheet of the season to beat the struggling Canaries.
The Tigers were awful in the first half, as passive as they’ve been in a game all season, but fortunately the hosts couldn’t find the breakthrough their dominance deserved, and as so often happens in football were punished.
Four minutes into the second period Matt Crooks freed Gelhardt who had plenty to do, but guided a shot into the bottom corner to make it four in four for him.
In the closing stages, with City in control, they finally killed it off when Darko Gyabi stepped off the bench to turn it at the back post at the second attempt, and seal a first Carrow Road success since 2010, and just a third since the early 1970s.
Jakirovic made two changes from the side that dropped two late points against Charlton Athletic last weekend, with Joel Ndala returning to the starting XI for the first time since the defeat to Bristol City back in August, replacing Semi Ajayi, who was rested ahead of two games in the next week. Lewie Coyle came in for Cody Drameh in the other change. That saw a shift in shape from the Tigers, with Ndala and Joe Gelhardt on the flanks and Matt Crooks, making his 400th career appearance, in the number 10 role behind Kyle Joseph.
The City boss was once again unable to call upon a host of first-team players, including top scorer Oli McBurnie, wingers Liam Millar and Mohamed Belloumi, as well as influential midfielder John Lundstram, which meant a very youthful feel to the bench.
Incredibly, from the kick-off, Gelhardt touched to John Egan who shot from halfway and landed the effort just over the Canaries’ bar, and despite it being a decent enough opening couple of minutes, the hosts should have been in front when Sargent poked over from a yard out after a terrific ball in from Jovon Makama.
City were second best all over the park and continued to be passive in the game, allowing the hosts to dominate and fashion positive moments. Play was briefly halted 20 minutes in when about five tennis balls were thrown on the pitch in protest as the club’s recruitment. Moments later, the visitors carved out their best moment with Ndala seeing a shot blocked before Gelhardt blazed over after 21 minutes.
Chances continued to come and go for the hosts, with the Tigers all over the place and hanging on, largely down to the Canaries’ profligacy in front of goal, so poor were the Tigers. Jeff Schlupp, the chief tormentor for City, and Lewie Coyle, with one of his efforts skimming the top of the bar. The only saving grace for Jakirovic was that his side managed to escape into the dressing room at the break, goalless.
Ajayi replaced Hadziahmetovic at the break, and four minutes into it, the Tigers got themselves in front when Crooks flicked it through to Gelhardt, who managed to guide it into the corner under pressure from Darling. It could have been two moments later when Gelhardt robbed his man inside the box and went down but didn’t get a penalty.
Gyabi came on for the ineffective Ndala with 20 minutes to go, while Topic and Kvistgaarden were sent on by Liam Manning and the game should have been put to bed when Joseph robbed Duffy inside the box but saw his shot saved, and in truth, lacked any kind of conviction.
Referee Smith then failed to spot goalkeeper Kovacevic handling the ball outside the box, and then Gelhardt being fouled inside the box. Inside the final 10 minutes, Enis Destan and Cody Drameh replaced Joseph and Gelhardt.
City wrapped up their first win at Carrow Road in more than 5,500 days when Gyabi prodded in at the back post after seeing his first effort saved.
Finally, City had the win in Norfolk they craved, and with all their injury troubles, they claimed a fourth win in five and extended their unbeaten run to six with a second successive win on the road.
Norwich City: (3-4-3) Kovacevic, Fisher, Duffy, Darling, McConville, Schlupp, McLean, Mattsson, Schwartau, Makama, Sargent. Subs: Grimshaw, Medic, Wright, Topic, Marcondes, Forson, Jurasek, Kvisgaarden, Mundle-Smith.
Hull City: (4-3-2-1) Pandur, Giles, Hughes, Egan, Coyle (c), Hadziahmetovic, Slater, Ndala, Crooks, Gelhardt, Joseph. Subs: Phillips, Ajayi, Akintola, Drameh, Gyabi, Destan, Brown, Okike, McCarthy.
Referee: Josh Smith
Man of the Match: Joe Gelhardt
Attendance: 25,724 (730 from Hull City)
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