Norwich 1-0 Barnsley: Daniel Farke’s side stay top as Arsenal target Emi Buendia scores the winner

How Norwich must dread the opening of another transfer window. Last summer, it was Max Aarons attracting interest from European football’s heavyweights. This time around it could well be Emiliano Buendia.

The Argentine playmaker has been linked with Arsenal this week and after his stunning winner here it isn’t difficult to see why.

Buendia pulled off one of the hardest skills in football – a first-time volley while on the run – as though it is the easiest thing in the world. It was the kind of silky intervention needed to kill off Barnsley’s impressive resistance. 

Norwich attacking midfielder Emi Buendia scored the only goal of the game against Barnsley

The diminutive 24-year-old is reportedly a transfer target for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal

It also salvaged the festive fixture list for the Championship leaders after they’d lost to Watford on Boxing Day and been held at home by QPR three nights later. Four points from nine sounds much better than two from nine.

The win kept Daniel Farke’s side just that little bit ahead of Swansea, Brentford and the remainder of the chasing pack.

But Barnsley made them grind it out. The in-form Yorkshire side matched City in the first half before fading in the second and had Luke Thomas scored instead of hitting the crossbar early on, it might well have been different.

Not to mention in the dying embers of stoppage time when Michal Helik sliced wide with the goal at his mercy.

Farke is good friends with their manager Valerien Ismael, having completed coaching courses together in Germany, and he offered advice about the Championship and its demands before Ismael accepted the job at Oakwell in October.

Ismael obviously listened intently because Barnsley could well be dark horses for the top six if they keep playing as they have done. And let’s not forget they were without four regulars here because of two positive Covid tests and two needing to self-isolate.

But Norwich were just about superior and march on towards a Premier League return thanks to that X-factor a player like Buendia provides.

When he was replaced by Alexander Tettey with three minutes left, applause rang out from the few present inside Carrow Road. Those Norwich directors responsible for the ovation will hope they can do likewise come February.

Barnsley had claimed Yorkshire bragging rights by beating Huddersfield and Rotherham over Christmas and started with belief and energy as a result, unwilling to bend to the will of the league leaders.

They were the better side for the opening 20 minutes, their relentless running up front squeezing the space available for Norwich’s defence to pass their way out.

On more than one occasion, Aarons and Grant Hanley were forced to retreat under pressure back to keeper Tim Krul, restored to the Norwich team a little earlier than Farke would have liked after a thigh injury with Michael McGovern damaging his hamstring.

Daniel Farke (left) saw his side maintain their four-point lead at the top of the Championship

This pressure led to an excellent first chance for the visitors. Luke Thomas initially looked at least a yard offside as Cauley Woodrow’s blocked shot came through to him but they say you should play to the whistle and Thomas did just that, striking the crossbar with Krul well beaten.

The offside flag never did materialise because replays showed Aarons played him onside and it was chalked up as a golden opportunity for Barnsley that perhaps came too early in the game.

Eventually, Krul lost patience and just whacked a long clearance rather than passing to his full-backs and it seemed to shake Norwich out of their malaise.

Mario Vrancic, depicted as Super Mario on the match programme cover, played the ideal through ball for Teemu Pukki, who would have scored his 12th goal of the season but for Callum Brittain’s excellent goalline clearance.

Todd Cantwell then volleyed over from an Aarons cross after Oliver Skipp took an age to deliver a ball of his own from a better position, before Vrancic tested Jack Walton from 20 yards with a low hit.

To Barnsley’s credit, they continued to plug away with Ismael a source of constant vocal encouragement in the away technical area. Callum Styles was afforded space to shoot but Krul wasn’t unduly troubled.

Norwich have not lost to Barnsley in the league for 16 games, going back to December 2016

Cantwell almost breezed through at the other end as Herbie Kane groped out at his shirt to try and halt him. In the end, Cantwell ran into traffic and was forced back.

Norwich re-emerged after the break recharged and soon Cantwell was scampering through again by Buendia. He held the ball up and waited for Pukki to join him, sliding the Finn through but Walton blocked his shot.

A swift attack as the hour mark approached saw Pukki drill the ball across goal, Cantwell swing and miss and Jacob Sorensen force Walton into a reaction save at his near post.

But they wouldn’t have to wait too much longer for the breakthrough. Kenny McLean, in practically a right-back position, lofted a ball high over the Barnsley defence.

Buendia read its trajectory perfectly and struck it with a silky cushioned volley as it dropped and into the net. It’s a difficult skill to execute properly but the Argentine made it look so simple.

Cantwell had a great chance to settle it but couldn’t connect with Pukki’s cross despite being just yards from goal and a later effort was stopped by Walton. It just wasn’t his afternoon but Norwich had done enough.