Dean Smith will return to Aston Villa for the first time since being fired when Norwich City visit the Birmingham outfit, with whom he enjoyed plenty of success against the Canaries.
The Villans chose to sack Smith in November following losing five-straight Premier League fixtures. Results left the claret-and-blue side 16th in the table with 10 points after the first 11 games. Just three of those matches returned all three-points, while conceding 20 goals.
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Aston Villa also only managed to score 14 in their 11 games with Smith to start the season. They have since amassed 28 goals in 21 under Steven Gerrard for eight wins and 27 points. Two of the Villa Park side’s hits under Gerrard also came at Smith’s Norwich in December.
Aston Villa upheld their four-game unbeaten Premier League run over Norwich with a 2-0 win at Carrow Road in December. They are also unbeaten at Villa Park against the Canaries in the top-flight since November 1992, having lost twice in the division’s inaugural season.
Norwich have since travelled to Birmingham to face the Villans in a Premier League fixture on eight occasions. Aston Villa have won five of the last six meetings, interrupted by a 1-1 draw in October 2012. They have additionally kept a clean sheet in their last two at home.
Villa Park has hosted some of the meetings between Aston Villa and Norwich to return the highest scorelines achieved. So, what encounters between the Villans and Canaries during the Premier League-era so far have had the biggest goal tallies in Norfolk or Birmingham?
Norwich 1-5 Aston Villa, October 2019
Aston Villa hit Norwich for five in October 2019 for their biggest winning margin over the Canaries in the Premier League-era. The meeting saw the Villans’ £22m signing from Club Brugge that summer, Wesley Moraes, strike twice to take his tally for the season to five.
Wesley broke the deadlock on 14 minutes before stretching the margin on the half-hour mark. Jack Grealish, Conor Hourihane and Douglas Luiz added to their lead after the break, before Josip Drmic then beat Tom Heaton for a consolation goal three minutes from time.
Scoring twice at Norwich has proven to be a career high moment for Wesley at Aston Villa, though. He has not scored another top-flight goal since, after missing most of the 2019/20 and 20/21 seasons through injury. Birmingham Live report Villa will now strive to sell him.
Wesley enthralled Smith what his brace to help Aston Villa beat Norwich in 2019, though. He lauded the Brazilian after he coolly slotted home after controlling Anwar El Ghazi’s pass on his chest. The Brazilian also tapped home from Hourihane’s cross but missed a penalty.
“He’s one that we’ve watched a lot, we looked at him in January,” Smith said at the time, via quotes by The Guardian. “He’s an all‑round player, [was] a Champions League player for Club Brugge, as well. A terrific player, but all in all a terrific guy.”
Aston Villa 4-1 Norwich, March 2014
Aston Villa scored four past Norwich in March 2014 for their most goals in a single Premier League game at home to the Canaries so far. Wes Hoolahan had broken the deadlock for Chris Hughton’s visiting side after just three minutes, but Paul Lambert’s men responded.
Christian Benteke hit a quickfire brace with efforts in the 25th and 27th-minutes to flip the scoreline. The Belgian first beat John Ruddy with a right-footed shot from Ron Vlaar’s pass, before heading home Ashley Westwood’s corner. It took Benteke to nine for the season.
Leandro Bacuna and Sebastien Bassong would round out the scoring before the first-half was over. Bacuna struck a left-footed strike from Andreas Wiemann’s pass on 37 minutes, before Bassong turned the ball into his own net after Fabian Delph crossed into the box.
The result promoted Aston Villa to 11th in the table after 28 games and dealt a blow to Norwich’s survival hopes. They sat in 15th, but having played twice more than Sunderland – who trailed in 18th by four points – and once more than Crystal Palace and West Brom.
Aston Villa 3-0 Norwich, January 2005
The most goals Aston Villa or Norwich have scored without the other also netting came as the Villans won 3-0 in January 2005. David O’Leary’s side emerged comfortable winners to sit 10th in the table, whilst Nigel Worthington’s Canaries faced another relegation battle.
Liam Ridgewell opened the scoring with a header past Rob Green in the ninth-minute from Nolberto Solano’s free-kick. Solano was again the creator as he fed Lee Hendrie a quarter of an hour later for their double, before the Peruvian hit the net from Gareth Barry’s cross.
Solano would end the 2004/05 campaign with eight goals and three assists over 36 games. He also scored against Fulham, Portsmouth, Tottenham, Liverpool, Blackburn, Everton and Southampton during his first full season at Villa Park after a £1.5m switch from Newcastle.
Aston Villa 2-0 Norwich, February 2016
Just one Premier League game at Villa Park has ended 2-0, with Aston Villa edging Norwich in February 2016. Remi Garde got one over Alex Neil in the opposing dugout for one of just three wins during his tenure as Villans boss, which led to 13 defeats and seven draws, too.
The Canaries clash also returned Villa’s last points under Garde before losing their next six. Joleon Lescott broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a header beating Declan Rudd from Carles Gil’s free-kick. It was only the centre-half’s second league goal that term.
Gabriel Agbonlahor later sealed the win for Aston Villa by turning home Jordan Veretout’s pass with his left boot. The forward struck on 51 minutes for his first Premier League goal that season following an injury-plagued start to the campaign. It would remain his only hit.
Norwich 0-2 Aston Villa, December 2021
Smith oversaw one of the Premier League meetings between Norwich and Aston Villa to return the biggest scorelines yet in December 2021. But he would be on the losing end of the result, as Gerrard’s side left Carrow Road victorious in only their second 2-0 meeting.
Jacob Ramsey opened the scoring on 34 minutes with a brilliant solo effort, rampaging up the pitch and speeding away after snatching possession from Max Aarons 20-yards in the Villa half. The right-back tried to recover, but only diverted Ramsey’s shot in past Tim Krul.
Ollie Watkins had played a quick one-two with Ramsey before the 20-year-old got his shot out. And the provider turned goalscorer three minutes from time as Watkins tapped home Carney Chukwuemeka’s cross for the 18-year-old’s first – and only – Premier League assist.
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