Norwich vs. Arsenal: Score and Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match

Arsenal failed to draw level at the top of the Premier League on Sunday after being held to a 1-1 draw by Norwich City following strikes from Mesut Ozil and Lewis Grabban.  

The Gunners travelled to Carrow Road after drawing 1-1 against rivals Tottenham Hotspur and suffering a 2-1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion, and Sunday's share of the spoils stretches their winless run to three matches.

Aaron Ramsey made his return to Arsenal's starting XI in place of sidelined Francis Coquelin. However, the Welshman had to withdraw from the match, as did Laurent Koscielny and Alexis Sanchez, who suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury he was already carrying.

Bleacher Report's James McNicholas noted that with Arsene Wenger's men remaining in fourth, the team is in a sour run of form: 

All early signs suggested Arsenal could follow the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea by beating the Canaries on Saturday, quickly adapting to their preferred role as dictator throughout the opening phases.

According to WhoScored.com, the Canaries saw a minuscule 26.5 percent of possession in the opening half-hour, and Ozil finally made that pressure tell on the 30-minute mark.

A poor clearance from Norwich stopper John Ruddy ricocheted into the German's path, and Ozil made no mistake as he fired inside the far post, leaving Match of the Day to outline his influence over Arsenal's scoring fortune of late:

Grabban made the most of some poor Gunners defending to pull Norwich level before the break, with substitute centre-back Gabriel Paulista and Ramsey among the culprits.

Complacency is proving to be an apparent issue for the north Londoners, it would seem, after Opta's Orbinho revealed the pre-half-time period proves to be a weak point for Arsenal:

Clear-cut chances proved just as difficult to come by in the second half, but Alex Neil's hosts weren't liable to sit on their laurels, producing some of the better chances after the break.

Norwich's defence was pleased to see Alexis Sanchez join Koscielny on the sidelines, with Joel Campbell coming on as his replacement. Breathe Sport listed the club's growing injury list: 

"

Arsenal's injury list: Gibbs Arteta Coquelin Wilshere Rosický Walcott Welbeck Koscielny Sánchez pic.twitter.com/SMiBohPJHV

— BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) November 29, 2015"

While Arsenal failed to make major outfield reinforcements over the summer, No. 1 Petr Cech illustrated his importance to the side with a sublime, stretching save in the 70th minute to keep the visitors level.

Entering the fixture's final stages, it was the Norfolk outfit who created the better opportunities in front of Cech, leaving Arsenal supporter and broadcaster Piers Morgan to direct his ire at the other end of the pitch:

Neil's side leave Carrow road with their pride intact after hitting back from a goal down to threaten Arsenal, who might even consider themselves fortunate to have claimed even a draw.

The Gunners will be frustrated with the Carrow road result, and next Saturday's home tie against Sunderland looks considerably more threatening after the Black Cats won two on the trot.

Stephen Pond/Getty Images

That being said, Manchester City's away trip to Stoke City looks far less desirable, and Wenger's side could be placed at good odds to close the gap at the summit should the Citizens falter at the Britannia.

At the other end of the table, Norwich have now won just once in their last nine outings, but the result against out-of-shape Arsenal will nonetheless go down as a very valuable point.

Post-Match Reaction

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

It's possible the lingering effects of a Champions League match in midweek had an effect on the already-tired squad of Arsenal, who fell off the pace in a major way on Sunday.

Speaking to BBC Sport in his post-match comments, Wenger admitted his players were "jaded:"

"

In the second-half Norwich had good chances and we were playing against a team that is physically clever, they defender deep to catch us on the counter attack and we were a bit jaded, not as sharp as usual.

[...]

The quality of the performance was below what we can do offensively.

"

Speaking on the fitness of injured pair Sanchez and Santi Cazorla, Wenger went into detail, stating: "We lost Alexis Sanchez, I do not know how long he will be out, but it is a big blow. Cazorla finished on one leg, Koscielny we will have to assess tomorrow. Sanchez was an important loss today, he pushes defenders back and always is incisive with his dribbling."

Per the BBC Sport report, Norwich manager Neil told Sky Sports he thought his side finished as the "better team," and one would find it difficult to argue given the Canaries' pressing presence toward full time.

Jon Super/Associated Press

The Scot went on to pick out balance as the key to success this season, and he feels his team are finally coming upon that mix between attack and defence: 

"Getting the balance right for us was important. At the start of the season we played well but weren't solid enough. Then we became more solid but didn’t have enough quality going forward. I thought we got a better balance today."