Norwich City have 2018 gamble to thank for ridiculous Nottingham Forest theatre: View | OneFootball

The signing of Onel Hernandez was a gamble for Norwich, but it paid off during the 2018/19 campaign.

The 2018/19 campaign was a huge success for Norwich City.

Daniel Farke was appointed as Norwich manager in the summer of 2017, but his first season in charge did not go to plan. The Canaries finished 14th in the Championship despite hopes of achieving promotion.

The 2018/19 season, however, could not have gone any better for Farke and his side. Norwich lost just six league games all season and finished on 94 points to clinch the title and earn promotion to the top-flight, three years after their relegation.

The Canaries made some unforgettable signings in 2018, which ultimately guided them to promotion. The likes of Teemu Pukki and Emi Buendia signed in the summer and went on to have a huge impact at Carrow Road.

The January prior, Norwich signed Onel Hernandez who enjoyed a stunning 2018/19 season and is still with the club today. There is one game in particular that Canaries fans may remember Hernandez for in years to come.

Boxing Day fixtures have become renowned for being unpredictable, and Norwich's 2018 fixture was no different. The Canaries went into the game 11 league games unbeaten, and were expected to make it 12, but it proved to be a tough ask.

Nottingham Forest were the opponents at Carrow Road that day, and they took the lead just before the break through Matty Cash. Forest went on to score a second and a third and by the 74th minute were 3-0 up, to everyone's surprise.

Onel Hernandez was introduced in the 63rd minute, when the scoreline was 1-0, and no one could have expected the impact he would go on to have on the game.

Mario Vrancic pulled one back for Norwich with 13 minutes to go plus stoppage time, but it seemed too little too late, as by the 90th minute, the score was still 3-1.

Four minutes into stoppage time, substitute Hernandez played a low ball across the face of goal that found its way into the bottom far corner, to give Norwich that glimmer of hope of a comeback.

The clock was ticking and Norwich had their chances to level the scoring but just could not find the back of the net despite their best efforts. That was until the eighth minute of stoppage time as Hernandez received the ball inside the area and quickly fired his effort into the near corner to send Carrow Road into pandemonium.

The Cuba international scored two stoppage-time goals after coming on as a substitute to complete the comeback from 3-0 down. It is a game that will be remembered for a long time by Norwich City fans, and Hernandez was the hero on the day.

Onel Hernandez' time at Norwich City

It was a bit of a gamble by Norwich when they signed Hernandez, as he was playing in the German second tier and was a name known by very few, but that gamble has certainly paid off.

The winger has been a fantastic servant to the Canaries, as he does not necessarily start every game, but is often an ideal attacking option to bring off the bench.

His performance against Nottingham Forest back in 2018 is just one example of how he can impact a game. That title-winning season, he scored eight goals and assisted 10 in the Championship.

Hernandez was unable to replicate those numbers over the next couple of seasons and was subsequently loaned out to Boro and Birmingham, but he has come back into the side in recent seasons, always looking to make an impact.