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AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Norwich v Manchester United, Premier League

We went minute-by-minute as Norwich attempted to upset Manchester United.

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Norwich 1-0 Manchester United (FT)

Hello, and welcome to our third liveblog of the day. Here are the line-ups:

Norwich: Ruddy, Whittaker, Bassong, Turner, Garrido, Snodgrass, Johnson, Tettey, Pilkington, Hoolahan, Holt. Subs: Bunn, Howson, Jackson, Morison, Elliott Bennett, Tierney, Ryan Bennett.

Man Utd: Lindegaard, Da Silva, Ferdinand, Smalling, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Young, van Persie, Hernandez. Subs: Johnstone, Jones, Anderson, Welbeck, Scholes, Cleverley, Fletcher.

Most people will give Norwich little chance of winning this game.

Nonetheless, they were largely written off before playing Arsenal earlier in the season, before proceeding to pull off a shock result.

And we’re off…

Van Persie has just forced a decent save out of Ruddy, with a shot from the edge of the box, following a flowing United move.

It’s been a good start from the visitors.

Apart from that one Van Persie shot, Norwich have looked relatively comfortable and compact so far.

Though as I type, Whittaker heads behind for a corner.

Hoolahan plays a through ball to prospective Irish teammate Anthony Pilkington, but the latter’s ambitious shot fails to test Lindegaard.

This looks like it could be more closely fought than many people assumed beforehand.

Norwich find Wes Hoolahan in space.

The Irishman’s shot from about 30 yards out is straight at the goalkeeper, though.

The hosts have acquitted themselves admirably so far, defending well and passing the ball with confidence.

Somewhat surprisingly, Patrice Evra leaps the highest after a corner is floated in, but he fails to connect properly with his header.

The first real chance of the game goes to Norwich.

Hoolahan, who has been fantastic so far, crosses in, and Snodgrass heads narrowly wide.

Norwich have undoubtedly matched their illustrious opponents.

And as I type, Garrido fires the ball across the box, but there’s no one in the right position to convert it.

United have been pretty poor in contrast with Norwich – I’ve lost count of the amount of ironic cheers as another pass from the visitors goes astray.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the visitors take the lead against the run of play, as they often do when they’re playing poorly.

Another half-chance for Norwich. Snodgrass turns Ferdinand, but his cross is well intercepted by Smalling.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Wes Hoolahan is controlling the midfield at the moment, and he was involved in the build-up again there.

Norwich have been given a warning sign.

With Bassong caught sleeping, Giggs finds Van Persie with a lovely through ball, but his attempt on goal is disappointing for once.

Good diving save from Ruddy, after Young produces a powerful strike as the ball goes loose following a corner.

United have clearly upped the tempo in recent minutes.

HALF-TIME: NORWICH 0-0 MANCHESTER UNITED

So at half-time, Norwich have arguably been the better team so far.

Their lack of fear, and willingness to pass the ball and take the game to United represents a blueprint for how other teams should play against Alex Ferguson’s men.

As far as the visitors are concerned, it would be no surprise to see Paul Scholes emerge from the bench sooner rather than later, should they continue to underperform.

The second half has begun, and again Van Persie makes a mess of a half-chance.

Sooner or later, you suspect the Dutchman will find his shooting boots.

Great play from Snodgrass, who intercepts a Ferdinand pass, and then outpaces Evra before causing the Frenchman to concede a free-kick.

From the ensuing free-kick, Lindegaard flaps meekly at the cross, but fortunately for him, United’s defence manage to scramble it clear anyway.

A lovely passing move from Norwich, ends with Garrido overhitting a cross.

The hosts have continued where they left off in the first half, with Hoolahan still pulling the strings.

GOAL FOR NORWICH!

Great cross from Garrido, and Pilkington is on hand to head it consummately into the corner (59 mins).

And on the basis of the game so far, it’s no more than Norwich deserve.

According to Jon Champion, United have been behind in 11 games so far this season, and subsequently produced a comeback in eight.

In other words, there’s a long way to go yet in this game.

Somewhat forebodingly for Norwich, Paul Scholes is coming on, while Danny Welbeck will join him.

The visitors have also seemingly enhanced their efforts since going behind.

To their credit, Norwich are continuing to attack and pass the ball intelligently.

However, as I type, Welbeck heads just wide from a Young cross.

Here’s a look at that superb Pilkington goal.

YouTube credit: Ainol Novo

Whittaker does well to stop Giggs from meeting another cross by Young, heading it away from danger.

Ten minutes for Norwich to hold on.

Hoolahan and Holt have been replaced by Morison and Howson, as Norwich seemingly look to shut up shop.

The two departing players can both be more than satisfied with their contributions.

United have had 73% possession in the last five minutes, though they’ve still had trouble carving out clear-cut openings, with Norwich looking solid right now.

There’s a big cheer from the Norwich support, as Ruddy comfortably collects a Scholes cross.

We’re approaching injury time, and as I type, Howson shoots wide when through on goal, showing a conspicuous lack of composure as he did so.

Four minutes of injury time are announced, as Snodgrass limps off and is replaced by Bennett.

A famous victory is within Norwich’s sight.

Brilliant acrobatic save from Ruddy, as Bassong heads towards his own goal.

FULL-TIME: NORWICH 1-0 MANCHESTER UNITED

Full-time, and Norwich have pulled off a shock victory.

While often when teams secure victories over United, they do so in a somewhat fortuitous fashion, but this time, there was little luck about Norwich’s triumph.

They defended well when they had to, out-passed United on occasion, and simply looked hungrier – with the Irish duo of Wes Hoolahan and Anthony Pilkington both playing significant roles in their win.

United will wonder how they produced such a lacklustre and lifeless performance today. Over-confidence may be a partial explanation, but that still fails to properly explain why their midfield was so anaemic for the most part.

“It’s a great day for Norwich,” says goalscorer Anthony Pilkington, and explains that they’ve been “more ruthless” since their inept start to the season.

Wes Hoolahan adds: “Credit to the fans. The team was excellent today.”

He calls their opponents “the comeback kings,” and says they were particularly wary of conceding late goals.

Alex Ferguson says his side are “disappointed,” and gives credit to Norwich for defending “really well”.

He acknowledges that the hosts deserved their win, and explains: “It wasn’t our night.”

He suggests the absence of Wayne Rooney should not be an excuse for their loss.

(Norwich City goalkeeper John Ruddy celebrates victory after the final whistle – Jon Buckle/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Right, that’s it from me. Thanks for reading and commenting, and good night.

VIDEO: Here’s the best goal you’ll see scored by an Irish player this weekend>

LIVE: Premier League, 3pm kick-offs>

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