The much-anticipated East Anglian derby between Ipswich and Norwich, the first meeting between the two sides since 2019, ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw.

Jonathan Rowe struck twice either side of the break for City while Nathan Broadhead and Wes Burns were the Ipswich scorers.

Ipswich dominated the first half and should have been ahead by at least three goals.

Broadhead spurned the chance to put the home side ahead in the 20th minute when he danced round a couple of tackles to leave him one on one with Angus Gunn in the Norwich goal, before he put his shot narrowly wide of the left-hand post.

The Wales international was in the thick of the action moments later when he picked up a cross from Burns but he fired the ball just the wrong side of the same post.

Town then spurned their third good opportunity to take the lead when Rowe’s loose touch was pounced on by Broadhead. He worked the ball inside to George Hirst who slipped it on to Burns, but he smashed his shot over the bar.

Broadhead made up for his earlier missed chances in the 34th minute when he found the target following Town’s first corner.

The ball was cleared from the Norwich six-yard area but, after Massimo Luongo headed it back into the danger area, Hirst flicked it on and Broadhead rammed the ball home.

Norwich struck back with their first shot on target through Rowe six minutes later.

His attempted scissor kick was initially blocked by Luke Woolfenden but it landed back at the City man’s feet and he managed to find the net much to the joy of the travelling 2,004 Norwich fans among the 29,611 inside the stadium.

The visitors then took the lead through the same scorer four minutes after the break.

A throw in from Marcelino Nunez found Ashley Barnes, whose header landed at the feet of Rowe who drilled his shot through a crowded six-yard area and straight under Vaclav Hladky.

Town equalised through Burns on the hour-mark.

Broadhead and Connor Chaplin were involved in the move and the ball was moved on to Burns whose shot from the edge of the penalty area went through the legs of Norwich defender Sam McCallum and into the net.

Broadhead bent a low shot towards the far corner which Gunn pushed away and substitute Omari Hutchinson ran out of room to push the rebound home as the two teams battled for a winner in the closing minutes.

Norwich head coach David Wagner was delighted to see his side bounce back from a frustrating result at the weekend by beating Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 at Carrow Road.

The Canaries lacked a cutting edge in a goalless draw with Preston but took their chances well against the Owls to stay on the fringes of the Championship play-off zone.

“Four days ago I spoke about how frustrated I was about not taking our chances, so to put things right at the very first opportunity is very pleasing and just the way it should be,” Wagner said.

“We scored three wonderful goals, created a lot of other opportunities and also defended well, even though their set pieces caused us one or two problems.

“We scored a great goal early on and could have had more but we didn’t make it easy for ourselves and conceded an equaliser.

“It is always pleasing in those circumstances when you then go on and win the game.

“We responded well to the setback, kept our tempo, kept believing and got the result we deserved.

“We have done well in our last six games, and also did well in the first six games of the season.

“In between could have been better but now we must keep this going, making sure our performances are at a consistent level.

“We now have a big derby game (at Ipswich) and everyone is really looking forward to that.”

Norwich were set on their way by a superb seventh-minute strike from Borja Sainz, who was making his full debut after his summer move to Carrow Road.

He found the top corner with a rising drive from just outside the box to open the scoring, although Wednesday responded well and got back on level terms just past the half-hour mark with a back-post header from teenager Bailey Cadamarteri.

Norwich got their noses in front just after the restart when Ashley Barnes slid home Sainz’s left-wing cross and gave themselves some breathing space after 72 minutes, Jonathan Rowe taking advantage of some poor defending to nod home his ninth of the season.

The defeat brought to an end Wednesday’s mini revival of seven points from a possible nine, but manager Danny Rohl took the result on the chin.

“I am okay with my players after that, even though I am obviously disappointed with the result,” he said.

“Now we must recover and be ready to go again on Saturday when we have another big game (at home to fellow strugglers QPR).

“In each half we had early goals to deal with and that didn’t help us, especially in the second half when we had just changed things.

“I thought we did a lot of things very well, although our pressing wasn’t sharp enough and at times our positioning wasn’t good enough.

“We tried everything but in the end it wasn’t enough and our opponents were better in the box and deserved the win.”

Rohl paid tribute to young goalscorer Cadamarteri, who committed his long-term future to the club earlier this week.

“He now has two goals in four games and clearly is a young player with a lot of potential. He deserves his contract and it proves we are looking to the future at this club.”

Norwich warmed up for Saturday’s East Anglian derby at high-flying Ipswich by beating Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 at Carrow Road to make it four wins in their last six Championship games.

An early wonder-strike on his full debut from Borja Sainz set the Canaries on their way and they responded impressively in the second half after being pegged back by Bailey Cadamarteri’s 32nd-minute header.

Ashley Barnes restored City’s lead three minutes into the second half and Jonathan Rowe’s back-post header – his ninth goal of a productive campaign – settled the issue after 72 minutes.

The win keeps Norwich on the fringes of the play-off race, while for the relegation-threatened Owls it brought an end to an encouraging run of seven points from a possible nine.

Norwich made a dream start, with Sainz firing them in front with a glorious goal after just seven minutes.

The Spanish winger left a couple of Wednesday defenders in his wake after cutting in from the left before letting fly with a rising drive from the edge of the box that flew past goalkeeper Cameron Dawson and into the roof of the net.

That magic moment set the scene for an entertaining first half, with both sides having plenty of chances.

It needed a superb save from Angus Gunn to keep out Michael Ihiekwe’s close-range header, while at the other end Barnes struck the woodwork with a powerful shot when he had the goal at his mercy.

That miss was to prove costly, with the visitors getting back on level terms three minutes later from a Will Vaulks long throw.

His delivery was nodded on by Ihiekwe and Cadamarteri was on hand at the back post to head home his second senior goal for the Owls.

Barnes missed another good opportunity before the break, lofting the ball over with just Dawson to beat, while the Wednesday stopper needed to be alert to collect a downward header from Adam Idah deep into stoppage time.

Norwich were quick out of the blocks in the second half as well, regaining the lead in the 48th minute as Barnes finally found the target.

An incisive pass from Gabriel Sara found Sainz in space on the left and this time the Spaniard sent in a perfect low cross for the former Burnley striker to slide home from close range.

Callum Patterson fired into the side-netting as the visitors sought an immediate response, but Norwich were largely untroubled and made it 3-1 with 18 minutes remaining.

A left-wing cross to the back post from Dimi Giannoulis was completely misjudged by the visitors’ defence, allowing an unmarked Rowe the straightforward task of nodding home from a few yards.

Norwich head coach David Wagner said his side needed to find a more ruthless edge after being held to a frustrating goalless draw by Preston at Carrow Road.

The Canaries were on the front foot for long periods against a side who had lost their three previous games but could find no way through a determined rearguard.

“The feeling in the dressing room right now is one of frustration because I don’t think anyone watching that game would have had any complaints if we had won it,” said Wagner.

“Defensively we were very good, keeping them away from our goal, but going forward we lacked a bit of creativity.

“Even when you dominate a match you don’t always create nine of 10 decent chances. Sometimes it is only two or three and that was the case and in those sort of games you just need to take one of them.

“Unfortunately we weren’t able to do that – we just need to be a bit more ruthless in front of goal and that is something we will be working on.

“We have now had two successive clean sheets at home and have won one and drawn one.

“We have another home game on Wednesday (against Sheffield Wednesday) and we need to clear our heads and look forward to that one. There are a lot of games coming up this month and we have to make sure we are ready for them.”

It was a match that Norwich dominated for long periods, although they came up against a side who defended stoutly throughout.

The closest the Canaries came to breaking the deadlock was in the second half when substitute Liam Gibbs wasted a great chance after being picked out in the box by Gabriel Sara while a goalbound header from Shane Duffy was blocked on the line by Alan Browne.

Preston were largely on the back foot, although Ben Whiteman hit the crossbar on a rare break and Jack Whatmough almost forced the ball home in a late scramble.

Preston boss Ryan Lowe was delighted to come away from Carrow Road with a hard-earned point.

“It was a solid, resolute performance and our application was spot on,” he said.

“This is a difficult place to come to and our attitude going into the game was to keep the back door shut and whatever happens at the other end we will take.

“First and foremost I thought we defended really well and when it was needed there were plenty of blocks, good saves and good headers to keep them out. We also had our moments at the other end.

“It is a fantastic point after a disappointing run of results and a lot of hard work has got us there against a good team who have been on a decent run.

“This is an important building block for us and now we need to build on it.

“We are still in a fantastic position and now we need to follow this up with more good results.”

Norwich were frustrated by a determined rearguard action from Preston as a hard-fought Championship encounter at Carrow Road ended goalless.

The visitors, who were on a run of three successive defeats, showed plenty of spirit against a Norwich side who had won three of their previous four games and just about deserved their share of the spoils.

For all their possession Norwich only threatened sporadically, with their best chance arriving in the closing stages when substitute Liam Gibbs missed the target with a clear sight of goal.

Preston hit the crossbar through Ben Whiteman but it was their defensive work that caught the eye on a miserable afternoon.

Norwich dominated a low-key first half in which Preston failed to register a single effort, on or off target.

The visitors were on their game defensively, however, and a low skidder from Marcelino Nunez which fizzed just wide was the only moment of excitement in the opener quarter.

The Canaries went even closer after 27 minutes when Onel Hernandez broke free on the left before bringing a comfortable save out of Freddie Woodman, with Jack Whatmough on hand to clear up the loose ends.

There was another scare for Preston on the half-hour mark, with Christian Fassnacht popping up at the back post and getting in a shot on goal after his initial header had been blocked but Liam Lindsay got in a vital block to keep the scoreline blank.

It was a similarly one-sided story after the interval, with dominant Norwich still struggling to create clear-cut openings.

Preston almost made them pay on 55 minutes when Brad Potts’ glancing header from Alan Browne’s free-kick was only just wide.

Norwich substitute Jon Rowe threatened at the other end with a volley which was well blocked but it was Preston who nearly opened the scoring just past the hour mark, Whiteman’s first-time drive coming back off the crossbar after Angus Gunn had flapped at a high ball.

With the game approaching its final 10 minutes, Norwich wasted a glorious chance to edge ahead when Gabriel Sara picked out an unmarked Gibbs in the box, only for the substitute to guide the ball wastefully wide.

In a grandstand finish, Shane Duffy’s powerful header from a corner was blocked on the line by a defender and Whatmough almost forced the ball home at the other end but it ended goalless.

Norwich manager David Wagner confessed to momentarily losing his head in the aftermath of Adam Idah’s winner deep into stoppage time at Bristol City.

The under-pressure Canaries boss raced down the touchline to join in a pile-up of jubilant players after substitute Idah had burst onto a long ball forward to outpace defender Zak Vyner and shoot low past Max O’Leary.

It had looked like being another tough day for Norwich when Jason Knight fired Bristol City in front in the 34th minute after goalkeeper Angus Gunn had parried a low cross into his path.

But the game turned 13 minutes after the break when an intended cross from the left by Dimitris Giannoulis deflected off defender George Tanner to wrong-foot O’Leary and beat him at his near post.

Asked what was going through his mind when Idah netted five minutes into stoppage time, Wagner said: “If anything had been in my head at that moment, I wouldn’t have done it.

“It’s not all about me and it’s my job to keep everyone calm and focussed. But it was a big moment for the team and backed up what I have been saying about the players.

“We have some strong characters in the dressing room and today the spirit was evident in coming from behind to win against a good team.

“Bristol City have had some impressive results recently and we knew it would be a tough game.

“But I felt we started both halves well and after we fell behind the players showed their commitment, as they have been doing since our difficult start to the season.

“Our away fans, in particular, have stood behind us and it’s great to have sent them on their long journey home with smiles on their faces.”

Bristol City striker Tommy Conway squandered two good chances to increase their lead at the end of the first half and head coach Liam Manning was frustrated by the result.

He said: “I’m scratching my head over how we lost. It’s a tough one to take because the least we should have taken with a point.

“We started both halves poorly, but other than that we controlled the game. We have to turn that control into more chances.

“It had been a good week for me learning more about the players. They are an honest group, but we need to be tougher in more ways than one.

“Norwich didn’t have to do much to score their goals, which is disappointing.

“It’s still early days in getting my ideas across. I liked a lot of what I saw today, but we are only talking about a matter of weeks and we will get better.”

Substitute Adam Idah scored a stoppage-time winner as Norwich came from behind to earn a 2-1 Championship victory over Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

Jason Knight fired the home side ahead in the 34th minute with a crisp finish from 12 yards after Norwich goalkeeper Angus Gunn had parried a low George Tanner cross into his path.

But the visitors drew level 13 minutes after the break when an intended cross from the left by Dimitris Giannoulis deflected off defender Tanner to wrong-foot Max O’Leary and beat him at his near post.

The match was deep into five minutes of injury time when Idah outpaced Zak Vyner onto a long ball forward and held off the centre-back before firing low into the bottom corner.

Bristol City had wasted good opportunities to extend their lead at 1-0 and could have no complaints, having failed to create significant openings in the second half.

Norwich started the game brightly and forced three early corners, but the first 20 minutes were largely forgettable.

The game sprang to life when Robins midfielder Taylor Gardner-Hickman brought a diving save from Gunn with a sweetly-struck drive from outside the box.

Suddenly both sides created openings. Ashley Barnes fired over for Norwich with a volley and seconds later team-mate Onel Hernandez hit a post with a first-time shot from Jonathan Rowe’s cross.

Mark Sykes shot narrowly wide for the hosts before Knight’s precise finish broke the deadlock.

Tommy Conway then had two good chances to extend the lead, but shot tamely at Gunn and then was denied by a brave save from the Norwich keeper as he broke clear onto a Sykes pass.

Knight saw a header from a right-wing corner tipped over by Gunn as the home side finished the first half strongly.

Norwich regrouped at the interval and began well again, Barnes and Marcelino Nunez testing O’Leary before the visitors drew level just before the hour.

The equaliser was fortunate, but merited, as Tanner’s deflection took Giannoulis’ ball into the area past O’Leary.

Tanner’s afternoon went from bad to worse when he was cautioned for a foul on Giannoulis that saw the Norwich player hobble off and be substituted.

Bristol City were looking well-drilled under new head coach Liam Manning and passed the ball neatly to spread the play without being able to carve out the chances they created in the first half.

Knight sent a half-volley from the edge of the box high over the crossbar as the game entered the final 10 minutes.

Norwich defended their box strongly and threatened on the break, but also lacked the final pass to add to their goal tally until Idah’s dramatic late strike.

David Wagner’s players celebrated in front of their travelling fans at the final whistle, having shown good spirit to claim the three points.

Boss David Wagner said Norwich fans had “every reason” to call for his sacking after Watford came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Vicarage Road.

Goals from Danny Batth and Hwang Ui-jo put the Canaries in control with just 12 minutes on the clock but Watford levelled thanks to two goals in three minutes after the half-hour mark from Ismael Kone and Mileta Rajovic.

Yasir Asprilla completed the comeback in the 77th minute with a deftly-taken goal that may have been ruled out for offside had VAR been in operation.

Many Norwich fans had lost their patience with Wagner before that, however, booing the substitution of Adam Idah, and some stayed on after the final whistle to call for his sacking.

“They have every reason – we are not happy as well,” said the German, who was appointed in January. “I understand the frustration. It is the unfortunate nature of the game.

“The supporters show their feelings, which is fine. If we had won it, it would be different.

“I am focused on the work. I have the main responsibility, I have always said this, but also it is the players who win the games.”

Canaries fans had called for Wagner’s sacking at the start of the month, when Blackburn won 3-1 at Carrow Road.

Wins over Cardiff and QPR bought Wagner time but a new sporting director has now arrived in ex-Arsenal loans manager Ben Knapper.

“I don’t feel I am on trial,” Wagner added. “I worked my socks off with my team to win this game but it didn’t happen. We have to reset ourselves and go again on Sunday.”

Watford manager Valerien Ismael was delighted with the way his team recovered from a dreadful start to bank three points that were totally deserved.

“I said afterwards to the guys ‘thank you’,” he said. “I am really proud of the boys. They stayed calm and the most important thing was to stick to the game plan as the game had not started for us.

“At half-time I told the boys to make sure we finished the job. It was hectic at the end but we deserved to win.

“The more difficult it was the more the players stuck together. It was a great win because of the way we managed the situation.”

Asprilla, the 20-year-old Colombia forward, showed great composure with the winning goal.

Norwich goalkeeper George Long parried a long-range effort from Wesley Hoedt and Asprilla latched on to the rebound, deftly rounded Long and slotted home a shot that crossed the line before Dimi Giannoulis could block.

It was Asprilla’s third goal of the season and Ismael is expecting more to follow.

“He is starting to get this breakthrough now,” he said. “We need to give him the confidence he needs and to support him. He can be a key player for us in the future.

“I am really pleased his goal decided the game. He has all the capability to score when he decides. He has everything to score a goal and is unpredictable.”

Yaser Asprilla’s goal saw Watford come back from 2-0 down to beat Norwich 3-2 in an entertaining contest at Vicarage Road.

Danny Batth headed home his first Canaries goal before Hwang Ui-jo doubled the lead with a long-range strike.

Watford levelled thanks to two goals in three minutes after the half-hour mark from Ismael Kone and Mileta Rajovic.

Colombia forward Asprilla completed the comeback in the 77th minute with a strike the Canaries insisted should not have stood.

It took Norwich three minutes to take the lead from a corner to the back post from Gabriel Sara.

Batth outjumped a team-mate to head past Hornets goalkeeper Ben Hamer, who will not have been impressed by his static defenders.

Hwang doubled the lead nine minutes later with a cracking finish but again Watford were found wanting at the back.

Ryan Porteous gifted possession to Sara, who set the South Korean up for a 25-yard drive that went over Hamer and dipped under the bar.

It was to be the striker’s one and only contribution, however, as he was replaced five minutes later by Ashley Barnes due to injury.

Earlier in the day, Hwang – who had scored the winner against QPR on Saturday – had been dropped from the national team until a police investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct was concluded.

Hamer, in for suspended first-choice goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann, soon had to tip over a header from Shane Duffy as Norwich threatened again.

Watford almost pulled a goal back when George Long fumbled a long-ranger from ex-Canary Jamal Lewis. Kone latched on to the loose ball but the keeper recovered to make a vital block.

Kone made no mistake in the 30th minute, however, with a run and drive from the edge of the box into the far corner for his first Watford goal – and the hosts were level three minutes later.

Lewis made his way into the box on the left and floated over an inviting cross for Rajovic to head home from close range to register his fourth goal in five games.

Hamer did well to deny Adam Idah before Long had to tip over a goal-bound Asprilla drive in the half’s final attack.

Long did well to stop Ryan Andrews’ deflected cross loop over him in the 53rd minute as Watford carried on where they had left off.

Kone then saw a rocket of a shot smash back off the crossbar from a similar position to his earlier goal, with Long smothering a follow up from Edo Kayembe.

Norwich’s resistance ended in the 77th minute when Asprilla showed great skill to take the ball round Long before unleashing a shot that crossed the line before Dimi Giannoulis could block.

Norwich argued that a number of Watford players had been offside when Long parried Wes Hoedt’s shot into Asprilla’s path but referee Simon Hooper awarded the goal.

Hamer denied Norwich substitute Borja Sainz a late equaliser with another impressive tip over.

Norwich head coach David Wagner was delighted with his side’s hard-fought 1-0 win over QPR – despite admitting it had been a below-par attacking performance from his side.

The Canaries made it back-to-back wins in the Championship after a poor run that had seen Wagner’s position called into question, with Hwang Ui-jo’s 21st-minute goal settling a scrappy encounter.

That proved to be the hosts’ only effort on target but the boss wasn’t complaining afterwards.

“I think a 1-0 win like that is perhaps the best sort of win for me in the circumstances,” said Wagner.

“Everyone knows we can score goals – the stats tell you that – but we have been conceding too many goals and to keep a clean sheet was very pleasing.

“We were very organised defensively, kept them as far away from our goal as possible, and didn’t give them many chances.

“The guys out there all did their job because as a team we need to be more solid than we have been.

“Was it our most entertaining game offensively? No, but you can’t always score two or three goals to win a game and that is back-to-back wins now, which feels good, certainly much better than it did a few weeks ago.”

Wagner was full of praise for Hwang, who has been the subject of allegations regarding his personal life in his home country.

“It hasn’t been easy for him but his head is with us and he proved what a good footballer he is,” said Wagner.

“He has great technique, good work ethic and he understands the game well. He took his goal really well and gave us 70 minutes or so, which is more than I expected after his international duty.”

A scrappy game with a scarcity of goalmouth action at either end was settled by a well-taken goal from South Korean striker Hwang, who is on loan at Carrow Road from Nottingham Forest.

A pass through the middle from Gabriel Sara caught the visiting defence napping and Hwang was able to run through unopposed before beating Asmir Begovic with a powerful low shot into the bottom corner.

That was just about the only clear-cut opportunity Norwich created all afternoon while it was a similar story for the visitors, with a stoppage-time strike from Sam Field that flew narrowly wide perhaps their best moment.

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes felt his side had competed well but admitted they needed to improve in and around the opposition box.

“In the three games since I took over we have competed well and certainly haven’t been worse than any of our opponents,” he said when reflecting on start of two draws and a defeat.

“I have seen some good things in all our performances – and I have seen improvements again today.

“We were well organised and played the ball around well at times but the most important thing here is the result and I am obviously not happy with that.

“What we need is more sharpness in the final third, in and around the box. We need to be able to penetrate and score goals, otherwise all the other good things don’t count for anything.

“What I have seen here so far both during games and on the training pitch is a group of players who are committed to the cause and are working hard to turn things around – now we need to get the results to go with that.”

Norwich put their home woes behind them with a hard-fought 1-0 win over QPR in a scrappy Championship encounter.

The Canaries had lost their three previous matches at Carrow Road to heap the pressure on head coach David Wagner but got the three points this time around thanks to a well-taken 21st-minute goal from on-loan striker Hwang Ui-jo.

It was a lacklustre showing from the hosts but this was all about the result which followed a 3-2 win in their previous game at Cardiff and lifted them to the fringes of the play-off picture.

For Rangers, it was a first defeat under new boss Marti Cifuentes after a couple of draws but they competed well in an instantly forgettable game and would have had some reward for their efforts had their finishing matched their often attractive approach play.

It was Rangers who made the better start, enjoying plenty of possession, but they couldn’t make it count and it was the hosts who got their noses in front midway through the fast half.

A simple ball through the centre from Gabriel Sara caught the visiting defence napping and Hwang was left free to advance on goal before burying an unstoppable low shot into the bottom corner.

Aside from a back-post effort from Jack Stacey that was headed clear from underneath his own bar by Steve Cook, it proved to be Norwich’s only on target effort of the opening period – but fortunately for Wagner’s men their opponents lacked the punch to go with their neat approach work.

Lyndon Dykes nodded a corner from Kenneth Paal just wide and a well-struck effort from Osman Kakay was comfortably gathered by George Long but they were rare moments of alarm for the Canaries.

Paal tested Long with a powerful low shot and Ilias Chair fired just over from distance as Rangers again came out of the blocks quickly after the break.

Norwich were still looking reasonably comfortable, however, although efforts on goal were still at a premium in what was becoming an increasingly scrappy encounter.

Chair had an curling shot deflected just wide after cutting in from the left and Sam Field directed an effort just wide from a good position in stoppage time but the home side saw the game out.

Under-pressure manager David Wagner felt Norwich’s 3-2 comeback win at Cardiff proved he has the full support of his dressing room.

The Canaries went into the contest in the Welsh capital having collected just one point from their previous six Championship outings.

But Ryan Wintle’s own goal and Adam Idah’s strike, Christian Fassnacht having netted in the first half, earned Norwich a dramatic victory after Josh Bowler and Callum Robinson had put the hosts in front.

“I think it’s a deserved win,” said Wagner. “We have some problems but how the players took it on board and reacted was just great to see.

“It was anything but a surprise for me. I love these players. I know we don’t have a problem in the dressing room, there’s a good togetherness.

“It shows how tight the dressing room is. They were desperate to turn it around and have this winning feeling back.

“We were on a negative run for quite a while, this is never enjoyable.

“But if you still feel the dressing room and everyone else at the club is behind you, you can stand in front of everyone and show the confidence everyone needs from a leader.

“Now hopefully with some players back after the international break, hopefully this is our turning point to continue to at least perform like we did today.”

Following what had been a fairly tame start to proceedings, Norwich stunned the home crowd as Fassnacht tapped home from Kenny McLean’s flick-on to put his side in front with his third goal of the campaign.

But Bowler and Robinson netted before half-time to ensure the Bluebirds led at the break.

Wintle deflected in Fassnacht’s cross eight minutes from time and substitute Idah coolly slotted home from close range just two minutes later as the Canaries won for only the second time in 11 matches in all competitions while bringing an end to Cardiff’s three-game unbeaten run in the process.

Bluebirds boss Erol Bulut was left furious with his side’s set-piece defending.

“You can lose the game but not how we lost it in the last 25 minutes. This makes me angry,” he said.

“We didn’t fight, we didn’t concentrate, we lost balls too quickly and we knew exactly what they would do. Some players were not concentrating enough.

“We trained for it (set-pieces). We showed the team how Norwich are doing their corner kicks, at the front post, and they scored the first goal from the front post.

“And at the far post we conceded. The second goal was the same. Two easy goals.”

He added: “Also, our substitution players didn’t really help us. In previous weeks that was different, they brought us points.

“That was also the key to how we lost the game 3-2.”

Norwich struck twice late on to come from behind and beat Cardiff 3-2 to ease the pressure on under-fire boss David Wagner.

The Canaries silenced the Cardiff City Stadium crowd as Christian Fassnacht poked home his third goal of the campaign in the 22nd minute.

Cardiff responded well and saw Josh Bowler equalise in the 39th minute before Callum Robinson headed them in front on 43 minutes.

But Ryan Wintle’s own goal made it 2-2 in the 82nd minute before Adam Idah slotted home two minutes later as Norwich ended their six-game winless run in dramatic fashion.

Defeat was Cardiff’s first on home soil since early August and brought an end to their three-match unbeaten sequence.

Robinson and Norwich’s Gabriel Sara had decent efforts early on in what was a fairly uneventful opening period, although the excitement levels improved as the first half progressed.

Norwich tested Jak Alnwick for the first time after a slick move that led to Hwang Ui-jo teeing up Sara whose drilled effort was palmed away by the Cardiff goalkeeper.

But Alnwick was helpless from the resulting corner as Kenny McLean’s headed flick-on found Fassnacht unmarked at the back post to tap home.

Cardiff swiftly set about searching for a leveller and boss Erol Bulut was left incensed before the half-hour mark after referee Rebecca Welch failed to award his side a penalty after Bowler went down under a challenge from Przemyslaw Placheta.

Moments after Bowler drilled at Norwich goalkeeper George Long from an acute angle, Poland international Placheta crossed to Hwang, although the South Korean was unable to adjust in time as the ball struck his leg before flying wide.

Cardiff continued to probe at the other end, with captain Joe Ralls firing just wide from the edge of the box.

But the Bluebirds equalised six minutes before the break as Robinson fended off two defenders before crossing to Bowler, who lashed home his second goal of the campaign.

They went in front just four minutes later as Karlan Grant teed up Collins whose lofted cross was inch-perfect for Robinson to nod beyond Long from close range.

Mark McGuinness threw himself in front of Fassnacht’s strike shortly after the restart before Grant was denied by Long at the other end after being played through on goal by Robinson.

Alnwick then had to be alert to keep out Jonathan Rowe’s low driven strike before palming away Danny Batth’s header as Norwich pushed for an equaliser.

They made it 2-2 as Fassnacht drilled across goal, with the ball deflecting off Wintle.

Then after Rowe’s placed shot was saved, Idah netted the winner six minutes from time to spark wild scenes of celebration in the away end and relieve the pressure on Wagner in the process.

Norwich head coach David Wagner vowed to battle on after seeing his side’s poor form continue with a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Blackburn.

The Canaries have now lost eight games out of 10 in all competitions, slipping to 17th in the Championship as a result after a bright start to the campaign.

“If I get the chance I will work to turn this around but I am not the right person to ask (about my future),” he said.

“I take responsibility, for sure, because I am the manager of this team, and today wasn’t good enough, I know that, and the longer this run goes on the more difficult it gets.

“But this squad proved what it’s capable of early in the season and as I said I am ready to work hard to put things right.”

Wagner, who confirmed he would not be resigning, added: “I thought we actually started quite well, winning the ball in dangerous positions, but after that our press wasn’t right and they punished us.

“At 3-0 we had a mountain to climb. I cannot fault the effort of the lads but we were not clinical enough, we didn’t take the good chances we created.”

Norwich were punished for a slow start as a slick Blackburn side scored twice in the first 15 minutes at Carrow Road.

A simple pass inside from Joe Rankin-Costello put Tyrhys Dolan in to run through and smash the ball high into the roof of the net and then Andrew Moran slid Sammie Szmodics in to make it two.

It was all too easy for Blackburn, with the home fans making their discontent clear, and four minutes after the restart it got even bleaker for the hosts as Szmodics got his second of the game.

Dolan did well to pick out an unmarked Moran on the right and his low cross was tapped in at the back post by Rovers’ top scorer, who got the benefit of a tight offside call.

The visitors were quickly reduced to 10 men when Scott Wharton saw red for a professional foul on Onel Hernandez, but Norwich had to wait until the second minute of injury time to pull one back from Gabriel Sara, who was in the right place to pounce on a loose ball in the area.

Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson was understandably pleased with his side’s comfortable win.

“I thought it was an excellent win and performance – we played at a very high level for long periods,” he said.

“Norwich are going through a difficult spell at the moment but they are still a good team with good players and it was important we got on the front foot immediately. We scored two good goals and had other good chances and it could easily have been 4-0 at half-time.

“We stuck to our principles, with plenty of one and two-touch football, and I thought we played some really good stuff at times.

“We scored another well-worked goal in the second half and then got the red card, which obviously affected the game.

“After that I thought we defended like lions to keep them out, showing great team spirit, which was another positive from our young team.

“We put in a good show at Chelsea and we have followed that up today with another good performance, which is very pleasing. We can now enjoy this and then prepare for the derby against Preston on Friday.”

Norwich’s slump continued as they fell to a painful 3-1 defeat at the hands of 10-man Blackburn at Carrow Road.

The Canaries have now lost eight times in 10 games in all competitions, slipping to 17th in the Championship, and there were calls for head coach David Wagner to go during another below-par showing.

Blackburn scored twice in the opening 15 minutes through Tyrhys Dolan and Sammie Szmodics to take control, and a second from Szmodics early in the second half ended the game as a contest, even through Rovers’ Scott Wharton was sent off shortly afterwards.

Norwich got one back in injury time through Gabriel Sara, but it was no more than a consolation for the struggling hosts.

The Canaries were well off the pace in the early stages and were duly punished as the visitors scored two well-taken goals.

At times a slick Rovers side were able to play their way through a nervous looking City backline at will and it was no surprise when they took the lead after eight minutes with a goal of classic simplicity.

Joe Rankin-Costello found himself in some space on the right and slid the ball infield to Dolan who burst into the box before producing an emphatic finish into the roof of the net.

It got worse for the hosts in the 15th minute when Rovers added a second. Their defence was again caught square as Andrew Moran put Szmodics in and the striker buried an unstoppable low shot into the bottom corner to make it two.

There were chants of ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ from the Norwich fans when that one went in, with head coach Wagner already under pressure after his side’s poor run of form.

The Canaries did improve as the half wore on, and Ui Jo Hwang and Marcelino Nunez both got decent efforts of target before Onel Hernandez fired just wide from the edge of the area after being fed by Jack Stacey.

But overall it was still a poor first-half showing, and the second started in similar fashion for the Canaries as they shipped another soft goal four minutes after the restart.

This time Dolan had all the time in the world to clip a ball out to an unmarked Moran on the right and crossed low for Szmodics to tap in at the far post, with the Rovers top scorer getting the benefit of a tight offside call.

Norwich desperately needed a boost at that point and got one a few minutes later when Wharton was red-carded after bringing down Hernandez as the Cuban raced through on goal, although the subsequent free-kick from Nunez was comfortably gathered by Leopold Wahlstedt.

Wagner made a quadruple substitution on the hour mark in an attempt to change the course of the game and one of them, Christian Fassnacht, brought an excellent reaction save out of the Rovers keeper with a powerful back-post header.

Norwich were now firmly on the front foot, with Nunez blasting just wide and Sara seeing a goal-bound shot well blocked and they finally reduced the arrears in the second minute of injury time.

Wahlstedt could only parry a low cross from Przemyslaw Placheta and it fell nicely for Sara to side-foot home from just outside the six-yard box.