Paddy's Pointers: Five observations from City's 1-1 Premier League draw against Crystal Palace

1. The long game

Ahead inside the opening minute but Norwich City were pegged back in a ferocious second half spell inspired by Wilfried Zaha.

A superb curling finish drew Patrick Vieira’s visitors level. But he blew a chance from the penalty spot minutes later, after Max Aarons had felled Tyrick Mitchell. It was a woeful attempt as he dragged a low right footed strike wide of Angus Gunn’s post. But still a let off for the Canaries.

Palace have too much individual quality in forward areas, you suspect, to get dragged into the scrap at the bottom. With Zaha on one flank and Michael Olise probing on the other, Norwich’s full backs were tested to the full.

Dean Smith’s boys may have slipped back below the water line after the latest round of league matches, following Newcastle’s handsome home win over ailing Everton on Tuesday, but this may well be a huge point in the final analysis.

City had to dig in to resist when the wind was firmly in their faces. In truth, after Zaha’s spot kick gaffe the gradient levelled out. Palace’s storm blew itself out. Norwich came through a period of adversity. They will face plenty more between here and the finish line.

2. Razor sharp Rashica

By common consent, the Kosovan international flyer has already hit the sweet spot for many Norwich fans. The thrust, the pace and the quality were shafts of light in a gloomy part of the season.

Even in a losing team there was just a tantalising glimpse Rashica had the ability to cause top flight defences a problem.

Now back from injury, the 25-year-old has carried on where he left off in Smith’s opening game, where a positional switch against Southampton to the left flank has transformed his impact on this team.

He will not earn an assist for Teemu Pukki’s swift opener, but the home goal owed everything to the manner Rashica pivoted away from the lumbering Joel Ward, before a penetrative burst and cross towards Adam Idah.

He should have got one later in the opening period, when Pukki took too long from his perfectly-timed pass after he harried the Palace backline into a cheap turnover.

There could have been another couple to his personal column at Wolves, if Idah had brought his shooting boots on FA Cup duty.

The bald statistics do not tell the whole story. Rashica looks Premier League quality. He was the headline summer signing, in terms of monetary value and he looks the part.

Smith wanted to take him to Villa two summers ago, when his form in the Bundesliga was making waves. He must be relishing the opportunity to work with him now.

3. Bigger helpings

From a squad who failed to score in six straight Premier League games to a team who now boast the fastest goal scored in the top tier this season. Or to put it another way, a group who had mustered only eight goals in 20 league games now have six in the past three.

Smith may have put defensive resolution at the top of his check list upon arriving at Carrow Road but that is some turnaround at the other end of the pitch.

Idah and Josh Sargent have opened their account during this recent upturn, but Pukki’s bouncing salvo against the Eagles was a timely reminder to the young pups.

When Idah diverted Rashica’s cross into his path, the Finnish international still had plenty to do 18 yards out. But a swing of his right boot sent the ball spiralling towards the inside of Vincente Guaita’s right hand post and over the line to spark bedlam, after just 38 seconds of play.

Pukki pulled Idah to him in a big bear hug as the celebrations erupted. Given how Palace hit back he may well rue the later effort he spurned when Rashica found him unmarked. Yet too often in the fallow periods this season, Pukki was expected to shoulder the entire burden.

Now he has back up. There is a threat and a purpose when City pour forward in their better spells, as well as extra personnel around the master marksmen. No longer does he look the lone ranger.

4. Mature Max

Two seasons ago in this very fixture, Norwich’s up-and-coming youngster Max Aarons was taken into deep water by Zaha. Palace won that Premier League fixture late on, with Zaha pivotal to the outcome.

Zaha may have struck again in the latest reunion, when he veered inside Przemyslaw Placheta to unleash a corker that flew up and over Gunn.

Plus Aarons was culpable to concede the penalty spurned by Zaha, when he made a rare positional error to get the wrong side of Mitchell. But make no mistake, City’s full back was top drawer in his personal duel with the Eagles’ talisman.

There was a mutual show of respect immediately after the final whistle, when Zaha acknowledged how tough a night he had endured.

Aarons burst onto the scene as an attacking full back in the modern sense of the definition under Daniel Farke. But this latest offering underlined again how much he has improved in his close up defending.

There is still work ahead to improve of course but when, rather than if, he departs for the next phase of his career, nights like these against one of the best operators in his position do not go unnoticed.

5. Gunn fire

Zaha’s majestic strike would have beaten any keeper in the world. But the boyhood City fan will take huge confidence from his latest Premier League episode.

A clean sheet at Watford was a positive start, with the injured Tim Krul ruled out for the foreseeable. But bar a late flurry from the Hornets that one-sided evening, Gunn was well-protected by his defenders.

Here he had to come to the party twice. There was a fine parry at full length to claw out Jeffrey Schlupp’s half-volley from the edge of the area.

Then he held his nerve to firstly get his defensive wall spot on and secondly resist any temptation to edge behind it when he flung himself to his right again to keep put Conor Gallagher’s free kick. The home fans rose in unison to serenade him. Music to his ears after the manner his Premier League career ground to a halt at previous club Southampton.

This is a fresh start in familiar surroundings.

Just the small matter of another of his previous employers, Manchester City, and Liverpool up next. It does not get any easier. But Gunn will feel he played his full part in a spirited display from the Canaries.