Kevin Keegan has had five managerial roles to date - two at the same club, Newcastle United - but in only one stint outside of his boyhood club has he lasted beyond two seasons. That was at Manchester City between 2001 and 2005 and the match against Norwich City on this day in 2005 was one of his last at the helm. He left the club on March 10 after telling the chairman John Wardle that he planned to retire at the end of the season.
The match at Carrow Road was a typical Keegan contest, too. The former England striker loved to see attacking play from his sides and there was often far less importance placed on defence. It led to plenty of goals - at both ends - in a lot of games he took charge for, which was great for the neutral spectator but probably less so for fans of the clubs he managed.
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City were doing well in the Premier League with Stuart Pearce, who came in for Keegan, managing to guide them to a respectable eighth-place finish, just outside the European spots. Norwich were at the other end of the table in what was already looking to be a pointless battle against the drop. After leading 2-0 only to go on and lose, this was a big nail in the Carrow Road coffin.
The game started so well for the Canaries as they came flying out of the blocks into an early lead. Although they were struggling in the league Norwich still had quality on the pitch, none more so than Dean Ashton, who had joined the club in January from Crewe Alexandra.
His ability gave Norwich hope of survival and he opened the scoring against City, too. It was a goal of top quality; Ashton met a long ball from Adam Drury on the left side of the box before steering a flicked volley past David James who came out to meet it.
That goal really buoyed the home crowd and just five minutes later - 16 overall on the clock - they had even more to cheer about. Ashton again was heavily involved as City failed to clear their lines. The striker won the ball before guiding it through to his strike partner Leon McKenzie, who kept his cool to finish low underneath James.
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Norwich, however, did not do clean sheets. Had they managed their first for 20 games they would have achieved a precious three points over City here, but there was enough attacking threat from Keegan's team - as well as time - to get them back in the game.
If City's defending was poor for the second then Norwich's was equally bad 10 minutes later, as Kiki Musampa's corner came back to him before his second attempt left Antoine Sibierski with all the time he needed to head past Robert Green for 2-1.
The equaliser was sheer simplicity and was the sort of goal that Keegan himself would have been delighted to have scored. Sibierski found Shaun Wright-Phillips on the left flank, who had drifted off his man. The pacey winger sent the ball in first time for the lurking Robbie Fowler to net his 150th Premier League goal with a sweeping finish past Green. Norwich were carved open and there was now every chance that they would lose this one.
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There were so many facets to this game that at half time there was even a chance for club director Delia Smith's infamous on-pitch speech. "This is a message for possibly the best supporters in the world," she said. And what was the message? "We need a 12th man. Where are you? Where are you? Let's be having you! Come on!"
Amazingly, it did not work. The final - crucial - goal of the game came right at the death and for City. Fowler bundled in a rebound from a Wright-Phillips shot to deal a huge blow to Norwich's survival chances and send Delia home embarrassed.
Matt Domm
