TIM KRUL finally earned his holiday at the seaside as he saved Norwich’s skins.
Dean Smith stopped his players from jetting off during the international break because they had been so poor on the pitch.
But it seems the Canaries boss’ ‘No More Mr Nice Guy’ act paid off as Krul produced the ultimate s***-housery to distract Neal Maupay when he was awarded a decisive penalty.
Simon Cooper pointed to the spot on 29 minutes for a Sam Byram handball and up stepped Maupay with a chance to become Brightin’s record highest Prem goalscorer.
But first the Frenchman had to get past Krul and the away fans who teamed up to produce the ultimate mind games.
Penalty saving expert Krul knew exactly how to push the Frenchman’s buttons, getting in his face and whispering sweet nothings as he prepared for the spot-kick.
It did the trick as Maupay blazed over his third pena in eight attempts in the Prem to leave the Seagulls without a win in seven.
Krul’s heroics ended a woeful run of seven losses on the bounce for the Canaries to keep them alive by the skin of their teeth.
Graham Potter went gung-ho from the start with zippy duo Tariq Lamptey and Danny Welbeck entering the fray while Yves Bissouma and Shane Duffy dropped out.
Lamptey, having shaken off the illness that forced him to withdraw from the England U21’s, was back with a bang.
He tried his luck from distance early on but his limp effort trickled safely into Tim Krul’s hands before Maupay blazed one over.
Teemu Pukki latched onto a pretty passing sequence up the other end and stung Robert Sanchez’s palms with an awkward, rasping shot.
Welbeck then scuppered a golden chance to break the deadlock after a slick build-up which all began with Maupay.
The French forward steamed up the pitch, teed up Leandro Trossard who coolly back-heeled to Solly March who fed Maupay again.
But the striker fluffed his shot before Welbeck scuffed the follow up just three-yards from Krul who mopped up the damage.
Brighton’s boo-boys began but Alexis Mac Allister shut them up by shaving a 30-yard screamer just shy of goal.
Lamptey was pulling the strings and the host’s dominance was building, they just needed another sniff on goal.
That arrived when Pascal Gross’ cross struck Sam Byram’s arm and Hooper pointed to the spot then Maupay blazed over.
The shot-shy Seagulls have scored only ten times at the Amex, the joint-worst top-flight home record.
They came close again as a March free-kick was whipped to Mac Allister who rifled agonisingly close to the far post.
There was another flurry of chances before the break with Gross, Mac Allister, and Cucurella combining beautifully before Norwich headed away the danger.
March then smashed over from the resulting set piece.
Dean Smith must have roasted his players at half-time because they burst out the traps with Milot Rashica breaking free before he was snaffled up by Joel Veltman.
Home fans were lapping it up when no-nonsense March shoved Byram in the chest after a scrap for the ball.
It didn’t take long for the Seagulls to claw their way back into the driving seat, but again they had to get past Krul.
The lethal stopper leapt like a cat to tip over a point-blank Vetlman header, before Maupay curled into the side netting.
Krul then towered in front of the striker as he tried to squirm a shot in after being teed up by Trossard.
March pulled the trigger from distance but ice-cool Krul scooped it up.
Maupay missed another sitter and was hauled off for Enock Mewpu on 78 minutes but no one could find a breakthrough.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
