Norwich’s relegation from the Premier League was finally confirmed on Saturday, after an afternoon of mixed emotions for the top flight’s basement battlers.
The Canaries knew going into the game a defeat to Aston Villa and a win for relegation rivals Burnley at Watford would send them down to the Championship.
Norwich’s defeat to Aston Villa and Burnley’s late win over Watford confirmed relegation for the Canaries
It appeared as the clock ticked down on the 3pm kick offs that their execution would be stayed for another week, despite a 1-0 defeat at Villa Park, with Burnley 1-0 down in their crucial battle with 19th placed Watford.
But the Clarets staged a miraculous late comeback to win 2-1, and continue their resurgence following the sacking of Sean Dyche.
Watford managed to hold onto the slender lead they were gifted in the eighth minute from a James Tarkowski own goal for the majority of the match, before a late capitulation saw the Hornets stung.
Jack Cork pulled Burnley level on 83 minutes before a neat turn and finish from Josh Brownhill on the 86th sparked pandemonium from the away fans.
That result, combined with Norwich’s defeat, put safety mathematically out of reach for the bottom-placed Canaries.
Dean Smith was ultimately sent down not only by his old club, but one of his old shining youngsters at Brentford in Ollie Watkins, who scored Villa’s opening goal, with Danny Ings adding a late second.