Anthony Pilkington's Brace Leads Norwich City to 3-1 Win over Swansea City

Hello fellow Canaries Supporters! I am confident that you enjoyed Norwich City's 3-1 victory over Swansea City. It was pleasant watching Anthony Pilkington rebound against Swansea after he failed to capitalize twice against Manchester United two weeks ago at Old Trafford. 

Watching Saturday's match with fellow Norwich City Supporters, the NY Canaries, at our well-known location of George Keeley, I was ecstatic about Saturday's victory. Winning for the third time in four matches, the Canaries played their best match of the season on Saturday. 

Entering Saturday's match with only seven goals scored through seven matches, the Canaries needed only 10 minutes to take a 2-0 advantage against Swansea. Opening the scoring register for Norwich City was none other than Anthony Pilkington, who needed only 48 seconds to redeem himself after his performance against Manchester United two weeks ago. 

The Canaries doubled their lead in the 10th minute, when defender Russell Martin successfully headed home the ball to the back of the net seconds after accepting David Fox's free kick. Before any Canaries supporter watching the match could feel comfortable with the lead, Swansea City's midfielder Danny Graham scored a goal in the 12th minute to make the score 2-1. 

Leading 2-1 in the second half, the Canaries stretched when Pilkington produced his second goal of the match from six yards out in the 63rd minute to give his teammates a 3-1 lead. Following Pilkington's second goal, Norwich City controlled the closing minutes and were able to prevent Swansea from producing another goal.

Saturday's victory came down to the club's ability to successfully convert their opportunity. Although the 2-0 advantage in the first 10 minutes made a huge difference, the Canaries played excellent team defense in the penalty area and avoided being called for a penalty as they made 23 tackles against Swansea. 

While Swansea made a total of 597 passes while holding a 60.2 to 39.8-percent possession advantage, the Canaries countered that with a 60.7 to 39.3-percent territorial advantage, as they made 380 passes while successfully spreading the ball throughout their side of the pitch. 

One variable that can't be measured—but was obvious—is that the Canaries appeared to be having fun, as they were comfortable in holding onto the ball as defenders drew close to them. As a result, the team was in sync, as they were determined to attack the net all day. 

Following Saturday's win, the Canaries (3-2-3) travel to Anfield, where they're going to face Liverpool (4-2-2) on Saturday, Oct. 22.

Against Chelsea and Manchester United, the Canaries have been outscored by a combined score of 5-1. While the score doesn't reflect the fact the Canaries were in position to walk away with a tie and possibly win in both matches, it has demonstrated their inability to move the ball and convert their opportunities against top-five clubs. 

While a win against Swansea was important, a win over Liverpool will definitely demonstrate the adjustments Paul Lambert and the team has made after starting the season out 0-2-2. 

Other Premier League Results from Saturday

Manchester United and Liverpool played to a 1-1 draw. 

Manchester United won 4-1 over Aston Villa. 

Queens Park Rangers and Blackburn Rovers played to a 1-1 draw. 

Stoke City won 2-0 over Fulham. 

Bolton Wanderers won 3-1 over Wigan Athletic. 

Chelsea won 3-1 over Everton. 

Premier League Standings as of October 15, 2011

1. Manchester City (7-1-0, 22 pts); 2. Manchester United (6-2-0, 20 pts); 3. Chelsea (6-1-1, 19 pts); 4. Newcastle United (4-3-0, 15 pts); 5. Liverpool (4-2-2, 14 pts); 6. Tottenham Hotspur (4-0-2, 12 pts); 7. Stoke City (3-3-2, 12 pts); 8. Aston Villa (2-5-1, 11 pts); 9. Norwich City (3-2-3, 11 pts); 10. Queens Park Rangers (2-3-3, 9 pts); 11. Swansea City (2-2-4, 8 pts); 12. Fulham (1-4-3, 7 pts); 13. Everton (2-1-4, 7 pts); 14. Wolverhampton Wanderers (2-1-4, 7 pts); 15. Arsenal (2-1-4, 7 pts); 16. Sunderland (1-3-3, 6 pts); 17. Bolton Wanderers (2-0-6, 6 pts); 18. West Bromwich Albion (1-2-4, 5 pts); 19. Wigan Athletic (1-2-5, 5 pts); 20. Blackburn Rovers (1-2-5, 5 pts)

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at [e-mail] and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.