In a trip that was marred by the one man Luis Suarez in recent times, Liverpool found themselves travelling to a very buzzy Carrow Road in this weekend of the Premier League.
Both teams have had recent problems defensively and this game was always going to be about how both teams handle the pressure in the final third. Alex Neil sent out a relatively strong side handing debuts to new buys Steven Naismith and Ivo Pinto.
Adam Lallana dropped to the bench for Liverpool after picking up a muscle strain and was replaced by Ibe in the starting line up. Right from the start the home side were on the front foot penning Liverpool back and giving them no chance to move the ball up the field.
But Roberto Firmino opened the scoring on the night, a lead the Reds kept only for 10 minutes. Yet again their problems from corners was highlighted as the Canaries profited from keeping the ball alive from the corner.
A smart back heel finish from Mbokini gave Norwich a sniff in the game and it did not take long for the ex Everton lad to pile on the pressure on the Reds. He put one past Mignolet from an acute angle as Norwich city went into the break 2-1 looking at the first victory over Reds in over 20 years.
But what the second half had in store for the fans could have never been scripted. Hoolahan gave Norwich a 3-1 lead less than 10 minutes into the second half but were completely caught out on the other end giving Jordan Henderson a goal and piling the pressure on themselves.
Just 8 minutes later, Firmino scored his second and the equalizer before a gift to James Milner saw Liverpool take the lead once again in a thrilling game. It looked like the visitors were going to run away with the game but a superb striker from Bassong saw them equalize in stoppage time.
But Klopp and his team were in no mood to let the points go as Adam Lallana provided a final goal in this 9 goal thriller as he won the game for the Reds with his last kick of the ball before setting off on a run that ended in the arms of the manager.
Though Liverpool took all three points from this game, it was far from a convincing performance. Though they may have deserved it, they look far from a side competing for a top 4 spot and will have to start being more responsible in both the penalty areas.
Sakho looked vulnerable at the back while Moreno gave away a cheap penalty. Emre Can looked flat while Ibe hardly had anything to do. At the moment the Reds have a lot of players who are not able to contribute to Klopp’s style of play and it is hurting the Reds big time.
They cannot keep giving away goals for fun and expect to come back with a victory every time. They will have to be strong in the defensive areas and will have to exert some command to help themselves stay in contention for the top 4.
Norwich City on the other hand will be kicking themselves for losing the game from 3-1 up. They have been disastrous at the back and have continued to gift goals away to their opponents. Alex Neil will surely have to put an end to this defensive errors if he wants his Norwich team to stay in the top flight next season.
Naismith showed some promise while Hoolahan and Pinto were also good. They surely have a very decent squad that can challenge most teams around the bottom of the table but they will have to find some consistency and finish off games from winning positions if they are evade a relegation battle at the end of the season.
Klopp and Liverpool will welcome Stoke City in the second leg of the League Cup semi final this mid-week and will hope to take a results and make his first appearance at Wembly. This competition looks to be the best chance for silverware this season for Klopp and being just a few steps away from it will surely lure Klopp to try and throw the kitchen sink at it.
Firmino has showed some form off late and with Coutinho and Sturridge set to return at the start of February, things are starting to look bright for the Merseysiders. However they will have to strengthen their defense if they are to challenge for any thing at all this season.