Brentford 1-2 Norwich: Daniel Farke’s Canaries side finally get their first win of the season

Norwich City sacked Daniel Farke as their head coach on Saturday night, hours after he led his players in a spirited performance to secure their first Premier League away win in 714 days.

Farke conducted his post-match press conference at the Brentford Community Stadium as usual, unaware that he was about to get the chop.

Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber and majority shareholder Delia Smith were in the stands to watch Saturday’s 2-1 win.

Norwich manager Daniel Farke was sacked after orchestrating his side’s first win this season

Norwich midfielder Mathias Normann (pictured) scored the opening goal after just six minutes

The Norwegian’s fine solo strike sparked wild celebrations from all his Canaries team-mates

The result lifted the club from the bottom of the Premier League table until Newcastle’s 1-1 draw at Brighton bumped them back down. But regardless of the three points, Norwich sacked the German who had signed a new four-year deal in the summer.

Yesterday saw Norwich’s first win of the season in the Premier League and their first away since a 2-0 victory at Everton in November 2019. Farke described it as a ‘great day’ to the media.

Yet, after being summoned to a chat with the club’s decision- makers, his day would take a major turn for the worse.

Paying tribute to Farke in a statement last night, Webber said: ‘In continuing to demand the very best for our club, this decision was not an easy one.

‘I know how determined Daniel and his staff were to succeed at this level but we feel now is the right time for a change to give ourselves the best opportunity of retaining our Premier League status.

‘All at Norwich City should be forever grateful to Daniel and his staff for the significant role they have played in our journey. They helped deliver two Championship titles, many memorable moments and they all fully bought into our philosophy and what it means to be part of this football club.

‘Daniel and his staff will always be welcome back here. I’d like to thank them all for their hard work and wish them well for the future.’

Norwich are a self-funded club — a fact Farke mentioned to the media after last night’s game — but they felt another direction was needed to stop their yo-yoing.

‘It’s important that we now look forward,’ Webber added. ‘We have 27 league games remaining and a long way to go in the current season. We know we have the ability within our playing squad and staff to start picking up points and climbing the league table.’ Farke led Norwich to promotion to the Premier League in 2019 and again in 2021.

His backroom staff members Eddie Riemer, Chris Domogalla and Christopher John have also left the club.

Former Norwich striker Chris Sutton said: ‘He has been a brilliant manager for Norwich and he deserved that win. However, at least the club have been decisive and given a new coach enough games and a chance of staying up.’

The timing of the move was surprising, considering how Norwich got the better of Brentford.

At full time, Farke, his staff and his squad approached the away end to celebrate, before the manager used his post-match press conference to say they could survive.

If they do, it will be without the 45-year-old, who is a popular figure among his players.

Teemu Pukki was then fouled inside the penalty area by Brentford substitute Charlie Goode

Pukki dusted himself off, picked himself up and scored the resulting penalty for a 2-0 lead

Norwich’s supporters enjoyed yesterday as they sang: ‘How s*** must you be? We’re winning away.’ It started with Mathias Normann capitalising on a poor clearance by Ivan Toney as he beat three Brentford players and found the bottom corner after six minutes.

Were it not for Tim Krul, Norwich would not have held this lead for long. He denied Christian Norgaard a certain goal from four yards by blocking the shot.

In the 28th minute, Normann cut Brentford’s back line open with a pass into Teemu Pukki. He was through on goal and, in his desperation to deny him, Charlie Goode slid in on Pukki. He did not win the ball and referee Jarred Gillett pointed to the penalty spot.

Pukki stepped up and it was 2-0 to Norwich. That would lead to a rare half-time team talk from Farke in which he would be telling his team how to see out a game, rather than get back into it.

Recalled forward Bryan Mbeumo thought he had pulled a goal back for Brentford (pictured)

But it was disallowed by VAR for an offside in the build-up, with striker Ivan Toney penalised

In the 50th minute, a headed flick by Toney left Bryan Mbeumo with only Krul to beat. He converted but VAR Lee Mason ruled it out for offside. Krul was finally beaten when Saman Ghoddos crossed and Rico Henry scored.

Norwich turned to time-wasting tactics to eat away at the clock. It worked as the Premier League’s whipping boys finally whipped up a win of their own.

Farke turned into a cheerleader afterwards, leading the celebrations. It would be his last act in public as the manager of a club who feel they have a better chance of staying up without him.