West Bromwich Albion made a winning start to their Championship campaign by edging Norwich 2-1 at Carrow Road on Saturday, though the Baggies' breakthrough ignited fierce debate over the officials' intervention — or lack thereof. The visitors weathered an opening period of sustained Canaries pressure before clinching the points through late strikes that left the hosts chasing shadows inside the final quarter.
Norwich dominated possession in the opening exchanges but found West Brom's defence resolute and disciplined. The hosts carved out opportunities without troubling goalkeeper Max O'Leary with any real frequency; with 46 per cent of the ball, they managed only four shots on target across 90 minutes. Inside 31 minutes, West Brom's Nathaniel Phillips was cautioned for a cynical foul, a booking that failed to deter the visitors from their compact shape.
The deadlock held until the 75th minute, when Aune Selland Heggebø fired West Brom into the lead off the back of J. Morgan's assist. Sky Sports reported immediately that Heggebo's finish proved controversial, with viewers questioning whether the Norwegian striker had diviated the ball into the net with his hand — yet VAR made no intervention, a decision that stoked fury on social media. Talk Sport's Adrian Durham was among those who seized on the moment to rail against the absence of VAR in the EFL.
Norwich's afternoon unravelled further after 68 minutes when West Brom manager made attacking changes, introducing fresh legs through Harry Whitwell and Felix Horn Myhre. The Canaries responded in kind, hauling on Anis Ben Slimane and Paris Maghoma four minutes later — but the momentum had shifted decisively toward the Baggies. Ousmane Diakité, booked for a foul in the 48th minute, remained on the field to support West Brom's push upfield.
On 87 minutes, J. Morgan doubled the visitors' advantage, sweeping home from Max O'Leary's assist to seemingly settle the encounter. Norwich, however, refused to surrender. Inside the final seconds of normal time, Mathias Kvistgaarden pounced on a loose ball to spark a frantic grandstand finish and slash the deficit to one — yet there would be no dramatic leveller. West Brom held firm, despite Norwich's late rally, to claim vital three points on the road.
Max O'Leary towered above his peers, registering a commanding 9.3 rating and shouldering much of the creative burden from deep. The West Brom goalkeeper's intervention — setting up Morgan's clincher — proved the difference-maker in a keenly contested affair. Jimmy Morgan finished with 8.0, notching a goal and an assist as the lynchpin of the Baggies' attacking play, whilst Norwich's Kenny McLean laboured earnestly with 7.9, attempting two shots despite his side's territorial dominance.
According to the Guardian, the Baggies' opening-weekend victory handed them an unexpected advantage in the promotion race before most sides had kicked a ball. Norwich, by contrast, will reflect on a afternoon of wasted possession and the cruel margin between control and conversion — they fashioned 20 shot attempts but registered just seven on target, compared to West Brom's more clinical 7 from 20. The hosts' inability to convert their dominance into early goals proved costly; Kenny McLean and others orchestrated passages of play that left O'Leary and company largely untroubled until the Baggies struck with surgical precision in the final third.
The result lifts West Brom to an early three points, whilst Norwich begin their Championship campaign empty-handed after a frustrating afternoon of what-ifs and controversy. The Canaries host their next fixture in five days' time; the Baggies travel next weekend, both sides keen to erase the memory of a bruising curtain-raiser.