There’s always been goals between City and the Saints – Chris Lakey looks at the contributions of Cureton, Ashton and Rosario, among others...
September 9, 1989
Norwich 4 Southampton 4
Robert Rosario celebrated signing a new contract with two goals, and an assist, in a crazy game at Carrow Road.
Only four times in 94 league meetings has this fixture finished without goals - this meeting in the old First Division was perhaps more typical. Eight goals shared, excitement guaranteed.
Paul Rideout put Saints ahead on seven minutes, Rosario levelled with a spectacular volley 20 minutes later. Rod Wallace bagged two either side of half-time before Tim Sherwood - playing at right back in the absence of the injured Ian Culverhouse - scored his first goal for City on 47 minutes.
Rideout scored a stunner three minutes later but just when it appeared City were dead and buried, Rosario was at it again, this time nodding down a centre from sub Paul Cook for Robert Fleck to apply the finishing touch. With seven minutes remaining, Rosario met Cook's cross with a superb volley to make it 4-4. City were unbeaten in their first five games - a run they would extend to nine.
August 18, 2007
Norwich 2 Southampton 1
Jamie Cureton had been brought back to Carrow Road as a replacement for Robert Earnshaw. It was, admitted Curo, time to prove himself at a club where he began his career 14 years earlier but failed to get going: "I have a lot to prove. I am back to enjoy a first team career. I just want to get going." And get going he did.
Cureton's first appearance of the season had seen him score twice inside 16 minutes in a League Cup win over Barnet - it took him 61 minutes to get his first league goal, and 10 minutes to get another, making it four inside the space of five days. Valuable that contribution was as well, with City having trailed since nine minutes before half-time when Kenwyne Jones scored for the visitors.
Cureton's first came when visiting keeper Kelvin Davis picked up a back pass in his six-yard box and the striker rifled the free-kick into the roof of the net after a touch from substitute Mark Fotheringham. The second was a superb volley from a cross by Lee Croft.
December 17, 2005
Norwich 3 Southampton 1
Dean Ashton scored 17 league goals in 44 appearances for the Canaries, and just the one hat-trick. The Saints were on the receiving end of the powerful striker, although City had to come from behind, Djamel Belmadi scoring after just nine minutes.
Ashton nodded City level on half an hour, headed a second past keeper Antti Niemi after 51 minutes and 15 minutes later volleyed the third.
"He scored three very good goals and his all round performance was very positive," said City boss Nigel Worthington. "It was an excellent hat-trick."
It was the second game of a five-match winning run for the Canaries, but an immediate return to the Premier League didn't happen, as they finished ninth.
November 21, 2009
Southampton 2 Norwich 2
A dark period in the history of both clubs. City had been relegated to League One and began the season with a 7-1 home thumping by Colchester. That's usually the sort of result that puts you at the bottom of the table immediately, but Saints occupied that particular spot, having began the season with a 10-point deduction after going into administration.
City twice came from behind at St Mary's - Adam Lallana put Saints on 11 minutes, but Wes Hoolahan equalised nine minutes into the second half, following up after his penalty was saved by Kelvin Davis. David Connolly made it 2-1 11 minutes later but City earned a point when substitute Stephen Hughes scored with quarter of an hour to go, Davis failing to gather Chris Martin's low shot.
It kicked off a run of eight league wins a row for City - helping them to the golden era of consecutive promotions under Paul Lambert.
August 31, 2013
Norwich 1 Southampton 0
It could well be a case of friends reunited when City face the Saints this season - Nathan Redmond and Angus Gunn on the pitch, and coach Craig Fleming on the bench.
It was Redmond who settled this particular match, in the 68th minute, during his days at Carrow Road against a Saints side then managed by Mauricio Pochettino. It was City's second home game of the campaign and their first win - and for the then teenager Redmond, his first Premier League goal, having joined in the summer from Birmingham for £3.2m. Ricky van Wolfswinkel had, of course, been the big summer investment at £8.5m, but Redmond was the more shrewd purchase.
"Nathan played very well and we are getting together a good team. His form at the end of last season was very good for Birmingham and he has managed to continue that here," said then boss Chris Hughton.
Redmond moved on to St Mary's in June, 2016 for around £10m.
Manager
Ralph Hasenhuttl
You might have noticed Ralph last season.
Appointed in December when he took over from Mark Hughes and became the Premier League's first Austrian manager. He's the guy whose pitchside antics made Jurgen Klopp look like he was bored with football (he's been branded the Alpine Klopp, given they had similar managerial backgrounds). Hasenhuttl had a playing career which saw him win Bundesliga titles with Austria Wien and Austria Salzburg.
He learned his managerial trade the hard way, with SpVgg Unterhaching, VfR Aalen and Ingolstadt. He moved to RB Leipzig in May 2016 and to Southampton in December, 2018. His appointment was seen as a gamble - but the fact Saints are still in the top flight suggests it was a wise one.
Last season
Southampton had slowly but surely been on the slide under Mark Hughes.
Relegation was looming, their first since 2005, when they took a miserable nine points from 15 matches. When Hasenhuttl turned up Southampton were 18th. He immediately instilled some belief in his players; he played up to the crowd with his fist-pumping, running along the touchline, and that Euro thing - the think Klopp and Daniel Farke do with the supporters post-match. Saints fans were revitalised. Players and fans had belief... and Bob's your uncle, it worked. He tinkered, preferring 3-5-2 to Hughes' 3-4-2-1 and played a high energy pressing game. And he started to get a tune out of players like Nathan Redmond, who moved to a more central role.
But still Saints finished only two places and five points clear of relegated Cardiff. It was still a struggle.
New season
Hasenhuttl starts with a blank sheet - this is his team now, to build as he wishes.
Clearly, last season was poor, but Hasenhuttl will be hoping the optimism has not disappeared. Saints legend Matt Le Tissier is in the glass half full club: "It's been a little bit of a struggle the last two years, but I think the way we finished the second half of the season with the new manager, I thought there was lots to look forward to for the next season."
HEAD-TO-HEAD
NW Draws SUW
League 25 16 23
FA Cup 3 1 1
League Cup 1 1 0
Total 29 18 24
Last 10 league games
2018/2019
CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Norwich 2 Sheff Utd 2
Saturday, August 18, 2018
Sheff Utd 2 Norwich 1
2017/2018
CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Norwich 1 Sheff Utd 2
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Sheff Utd 0 Norwich 1
2010/2011
CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Sheff Utd 1 Norwich 2
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Norwich 4 Sheff Utd 2
2008/2009
CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Sheff Utd 1 Norwich 0
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Norwich 1 Sheff Utd 0
2007/2008
CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Sheff Utd 2 Norwich 0
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Norwich 1 Sheff Utd 0
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