Norwich City's long wait for a first home win of the season goes on after Filip Krastev's 95th-minute equaliser snatched a 1-1 draw for Oxford United at Carrow Road. Jovon Makama's thumping first-half volley appeared to have delivered a desperately needed victory in Philippe Clement's first home match in charge, only for Oxford's substitute to strike at the death and silence a crowd that had been ready to celebrate a turning point.
The result finally halted Norwich's record-breaking sequence of home defeats, but it did little to ease their relegation fears. Having lost their opening seven Championship fixtures at Carrow Road, as well as a Carabao Cup tie, the Canaries remain second-bottom of the table, with only Sheffield Wednesday below them and Oxford still five points clear of them in 21st. For the visitors, Krastev's late intervention preserved that cushion and underlined their resilience in a tense scrap near the foot of the division.
Makama's Volley Offers Brief Release from Home-Ground Gloom
Clement had spoken in the build-up about needing to "build a house" with proper foundations, but the early stages suggested those foundations are still under construction. Oxford began confidently and almost spoiled the Belgian's first sight of Carrow Road as home manager when defender Ciaron Brown rose at the back post to meet a corner, forcing Vladan Kovacevic into a fingertip save over the bar. For a Norwich side that had lost every home game this season, it was an anxious opening.