Maresca’s team have now won six of their seven league games to lie second in the embryonic table but they were made to work hard for their success by a home side who had won all their games at Carrow Road before this one.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Kasey McAteer struck for the Foxes.
“I am very pleased with our performance because of the opponents we were up against,” he said.
“I have watched all their games and they usually score goals – 15 I think – so I am very pleased to come away with a win and a clean sheet.
“We had to work very hard for the points – I said to the lads afterwards that you can work on the way you play, the way you defend but you also have to have the desire out there on the pitch.
“The way the team defended was unbelievable, clearing the ball from corners and second and third phase play and that made all the difference tonight.”
Maresca made five changes to the side that won at Southampton last time out, with Jamie Vardy and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall among the players left on the bench, and he was delighted with the way the new-look line-up coped.
He said: “It’s a 46-game season and you can’t just rely on a small group of players. You need at least 20 and I want to get them all involved. You can’t just play in every game.
“It was tough because they went man for man, which meant our keeper (Mads Hermansen) saw a lot of the ball and he played an important role for us when we played out, and he also made a great save – I think he is the complete keeper.”
A tight match was settled by late goals in either half, with Leicester getting their noses in front in the 44th minute through Iheanacho’s penalty.
Referee Graham Scott pointed to the spot when Stephy Mavididi went down under a challenge from Christian Fassnacht and Iheanacho did the rest, despite a valiant effort from keeper Angus Gunn.
The Foxes had to withstand plenty of pressure after that, with Hermansen making a terrific reaction save to keep out a close-range header from Shane Duffy and Kenny McLean hitting the underside of the crossbar with a well judged chip.
But a well drilled defence stood firm and Leicester sealed the points in the 87th minute when Dewsbury-Hall squared for an unmarked McAteer to tap home.
Norwich head coach David Wagner felt hard done by afterwards.
“We are obviously disappointed to lose but I am fine with the performance – it was top class,” he said.
“I am unhappy we twice gave the ball away in the lead-up to the penalty but apart from that I am very pleased with the way we played.
“We were the better side in the second half and created three or four very good opportunities but unfortunately we were not clinical enough. The lads battled hard, never gave up and in the end were beaten by a quality side so we move on.
“I think Leicester will finish top this season and the rest of the teams will be battling for the other positions. It’s tough to take but I have every faith in this group of players going forwards.”
Striker Ashley Barnes limped off early in the second half and Wagner added: “It looks like knee ligaments and we will know more after a scan tomorrow. Hopefully it is not too serious but we have strength in depth now which is good.”
Jonathan Rowe had prodded Norwich ahead in the first half before Gibson headed through his own net to prevent a first Coventry home defeat since April.
The Canaries came into the weekend with three away defeats on the bounce and had conceded the most goals away from home in the Championship.
David Wagner made four changes to his starting line-up and the Canaries made the brighter start as former Coventry academy graduate Sam McCallum fizzed a cross across goal which narrowly evaded the sliding Adam Idah.
Rowe, Gabriel Sara and Idah all had efforts at goal inside the opening six minutes as Norwich looked for an early opener.
Liam Kitching was making his first start for the Sky Blues since his summer move from Barnsley and he came closest for Coventry in the opening 45 minutes as Angus Gunn was forced to beat away his goal-bound header.
Josh Eccles was left rueing his mistake on the edge of the box when he lost possession to Liam Gibbs, who was making just his second start of the season.
The Norwich midfielder drove into the box and his backheel picked out Jack Stacey, who calmly played in top scorer Rowe to take a touch and poke his effort beyond Ben Wilson.
It was the first time Coventry, who had earned back-to-back wins against QPR and Blackburn, had found themselves behind at half time this season.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Yasin Ayari had been recalled to the starting XI by manager Mark Robins and they combined early in the second half when the Japan international wriggled his way into the box and picked out Ayari, whose shot was blocked for a corner.
Gibbs could have extended the lead after Rowe drove at the Coventry back line and played in the former Ipswich man, but his effort was well blocked.
Summer signings Ellis Simms and midweek match-winner Haji Wright started together for the first time up front but failed to make an impact as the latter was replaced by Matty Godden.
The Sky Blues top scorer teed up Eccles, but his sweetly struck volley was straight at Gunn.
Coventry pushed for a late equaliser as Eccles’ second effort was tipped over by Gunn for a corner.
The Sky Blues finally had their reward a minute from time when Gibson diverted Milan van Ewijk’s inviting cross beyond the despairing Gunn to haul the hosts level.
Mark Robins’ men smelled blood as they went in search of a winner as the returning van Ewijk’s effort was blocked by Gunn before Sakamato’s header from close range was also blocked.
The Spanish winger produced a neat finish in the 84th minute to condemn the 10-man Sky Blues to their first defeat in 13 matches.
Mark Robins’ side had gone ahead early in the second half through Callum O’Hare’s well-taken goal, only to be pegged back 12 minutes later through Josh Sargent’s close-range finish.
The game turned again with 19 minutes remaining when Liam Kitching was sent off for bringing down Sargent as he burst into the box, with Norwich going on to make their extra man tell to move level with their opponents in the play-off race.
Norwich had marginally the better of a competitive first half which featured plenty of neat passing football but with little end product.
Coventry goalkeeper Bradley Collins did well to push away an early shot from Christian Fassnacht that was heading for the bottom corner before Sargent steered the ball wide from a good position under pressure from a visiting defender.
The sides tended to cancel each other out as the half progressed, with both keepers largely untested.
But Coventry also posed a threat, with the lively Haji Wright bringing out a decent save from Angus Gunn at the near post after trying his luck from a tight angle.
The Sky Blues made their first opportunity of the second period count, however, with O’Hare’s fine individual goal making it 1-0 in the 48th minute.
Norwich put themselves under pressure with a poor throw and Victor Torp slipped the ball through to O’Hare, who skipped past a couple of defenders before slipping the ball past Gunn.
The Norwich keeper then did well to foil a fast-breaking Wright as the Sky Blues sought to press home their advantage but the hosts hit back on the hour mark to level the scores.
Recently-introduced substitute Ashley Barnes saw his shot from a Gabriel Sara cross blocked but the ball fell nicely for Sargent to volley home his sixth goal of an injury-hit campaign.
Norwich were now on the front foot and received a further boost on 71 minutes when Kitching was shown a straight red card for bringing down Sargent on the edge of the box when he was the final defender.
Sara clipped the crossbar from the ensuing free-kick.
Coventry substitute Kasey Palmer was then denied by an excellent reaction save from Gunn but Norwich kept pressing and got their noses in front for the first time on 84 minutes.
The goal came after a break down the left, with Sainz exchanging passes with Barnes on the edge of the box before curling a delightful shot past Collins and into the far corner of the net.
Thomas-Asante grabbed the all-important goal in the 50th minute to cement West Brom’s position of fifth in the table.
But Norwich were forced to play almost an hour with 10 men after the Spanish winger was dismissed for two bookable offences, the second one dissent.
Carlos Corberan’s side were good value for their second win in six as they created chances galore – virtually all from man of the match Jed Wallace – with John Swift hitting the post.
West Brom dominated the first half-hour and should have been comfortably in the lead.
Swift was the chief culprit, missing no fewer than six openings of various difficulty.
Two early hopeful long-range shots from the former Reading forward flew high and wide before he volleyed against the woodwork from Wallace’s inviting cross on the run.
Swift then sent a floating header high and wide from Okay Yokuslu’s cross before the 28-year-old missed his kick in front of goal after Wallace teed him up again.
The game appeared to swing even more towards Albion when Sainz’s dramatic five minutes started with a 30th-minute booking for bringing down Grady Diangana.
Swift’s dipping shot from 30 yards was tipped away by goalkeeper Angus Gunn before Sainz’s shot was saved by Alex Palmer.
Within 60 seconds, Sainz hooked the ball inches wide after Jonathan Rowe got a faint touch to flick on a long throw-in.
But the Spaniard picked up a second yellow card – for dissent in the 34th minute – to leave his team a man down.
The hosts returned to the attack and Thomas-Asante sent a shot on the turn straight at Gunn.
Norwich head coach David Wagner clearly had defence on his mind as he replaced striker Ashley Barnes and winger Rowe with centre-backs Grant Hanley and Danny Batth at half-time.
But it made little difference as Thomas-Asante finally broke the deadlock.
The striker scrambled home his eighth goal of the season from two yards out after Diangana headed Wallace’s cross goalwards.
It remained one-way traffic and efforts from Diangana, Swift’s chip and Darnell Furlong all went wide, all three chances from Wallace’s assists.
But Palmer had to be alert and he made a vital one-handed save from substitute Ui-Jo Hwang to keep Albion’s lead intact.
Burnley continued their impressive record over Norwich City with another win on Sunday, while Watford beat West Brom in the Championship.
Decisions made by UEFA and CONMEBOL to push back Euro 2020 and the Copa America until 2021 opened the door for domestic competition to continue longer than initially planned.
Upon announcing a four-week extension to the initially planned hiatus on Thursday, the Football Association (FA) revealed it would allow its leagues to continue beyond the June 1 deadline set out in its regulations.
The eventual run-in could prove to be heavily congested. Some Premier League teams are still competing on three fronts, others possess a game in hand, while UEFA is still hoping for a round of international matches in June.
If no games are cut out, we look at how the calendar for English teams could hypothetically shape up if competitions across Europe were able to resume following April 30.
May 2/3 - Matchday 30
May 7 - Postponed Europa League last-16 first legs and unplayed matchday 29 games
May 9/10 - Matchday 31
May 12/13/14 - FA Cup quarter-finals
May 16/17 - Matchday 32
May 19/20/21 - Champions League and Europa League last-16 second legs
May 23/24 - Matchday 33
May 26/27/28 - Champions League and Europa League quarter-final first legs
May 30/31 - Matchday 34
June 2/3/4 - Champions League and Europa League quarter-final second legs
June 6/7 - Matchday 35
June 13/14 - International week
June 20/21 - Matchday 36
June 23/24/25 - Champions League and Europa League semi-final first legs
June 27/28 - Matchday 37
June 30/July 1/2 - FA Cup semi-finals
July 4 - Matchday 38
July 7/8/9 - Champions League and Europa League semi-final second legs
July 11 - FA Cup final
July 15 - Europa League final
July 18 - Champions League final
A number of Liverpool's non-playing staff were suspended on furlough, it was announced on Saturday, leaving them free to claim 80 per cent of their wages from the United Kingdom government while the club tops up any shortfall in their pay.
Tottenham, Newcastle United, Norwich City and Bournemouth took similar action by utilising the government's furlough scheme, prompting widespread criticism of wealthy clubs opting to put further strain on public funds.
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy was among those to slam the quintet, describing their actions as "grotesque".
City took a divergent move on Sunday, with a club spokesperson saying in a statement: "We can confirm, following a decision by the chairman and board last week, that Manchester City will not be utilising the UK Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (government funded furloughing).
"We remain determined to protect our people, their jobs and our business, whilst at the same time doing what we can to support our wider community at this most challenging time for everybody."
City are second in the Premier League table, 25 points behind Liverpool, and the league announced on Friday that play will not resume in early May as had been planned.
Premier League clubs met on Friday to discuss the prospects for completing the season, and the possibility of players taking a 30 per cent wage reduction was also discussed.
With revenue streams drying up following the Premier League's suspension, the Canaries confirmed at the end of March they had begun the process of enrolling some members of staff in the United Kingdom government's furlough scheme, meaning 80 per cent of their wages up to £2,500 per month would be paid by the state.
Soon after the club also confirmed the playing squad, coaching staff and executive committee had donated "over £200,000" to charity, but that has not been enough to spare them from criticism.
Tottenham, Liverpool and Bournemouth reversed their respective decisions to furlough some non-playing staff after a public backlash, but Norwich plan to stand by their initial choice.
"We've only furloughed members of staff who literally cannot work at this moment in time, so at least 50 per cent of the workforce are still working in lots of different areas across the club," business and project director Zoe Ward said. "We've taken this decision to protect staff, not only now, but in the future."
Sporting director Stuart Webber added: "We won't change just to be seen as changing for a little public perception. We stick to our beliefs and believe we've done it for the right reasons for our business. That's what people forget - it's a business.
"No-one will criticise Mercedes for doing it, but people do with a football club because they've got players and staff earning lots of money. Lots of businesses have lots of staff earning lots of money, who aren't getting anywhere near the public attention that football clubs are getting."
Webber also confirmed at no point did the club consider pay cuts or wage deferrals for the players, though that could be an option in future.
"They [deferrals] have never been discussed," he said. "We've taken a different approach and have been in constant dialogue with our players, led by Grant Hanley as club captain and Timm Klose, who's our PFA [Professional Footballers' Association] rep.
"We've been in constant dialogue with senior players, their agents and the PFA, and our staff. We had a meeting this week and presented the potential impact.
"What we believe during this period, as an executive committee and the board above us, is it's about education. It's not just about sitting opposite someone behind a camera and backing people into corners. It's about building trust, being completely transparent and honest. Everyone treats each other like adults.
"We've done that with our players, so they're fully aware of the economic impact that this may cause. It's very difficult at this point to say, 'we are definitely going to lose X which means we need to reclaim Y'.
"Until that time comes and we get more clarity, we won't be talking to any of our players or staff about deferrals. However, once the picture becomes clear there is going to be an amount of money which we've lost, and of course we're going to have to talk to players and staff about what we can collectively do to try to fix this."
The Premier League announced the results after 748 tests were administered across Sunday and Monday.
Those who were positive have been ordered to self-isolate for a week.
A statement read: "The Premier League can today confirm that, on Sunday May 17 and Monday May 18, 748 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19.
"Of these, six have tested positive from three clubs.
"Players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for a period of seven days.
"The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and oversight.
"No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the Premier League due to legal and operational requirements."
The Premier League, like most major sporting competitions across the globe, has been on hiatus since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A decision to suspend the competition was taken after Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi were both found to have contracted COVID-19.
The Bundesliga became the first major European league to resume action at the weekend, while Premier League clubs have voted to return to training in small groups without contact work from Tuesday, despite reports over conflicts of interest among the 20 teams on aspects to do with 'Project Restart'.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said on Monday there was flexibility on the June 12 target for fixtures to be played.
Farke, who was sacked by Norwich in November after three years at the club, joined Krasnodar in January on a deal that was supposed to keep him there until 2024.
But Russian president Vladimir Putin began a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine last Thursday, an attack that has been met with international condemnation.
That has been reflected by Russian teams – clubs and national sides – being banned from competing in UEFA and FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
Markus Gisdol quit his post at Lokomotiv Moscow earlier in the week, confirming to BILD that he felt unable to work in a "country whose leader has invaded another country in the middle of Europe".
He added: "That does not go together with my values and I have therefore resigned as manager of Lokomotiv Moscow with immediate effect.
"I can't stand at the training ground in Moscow and coach the players, ask them to be professional when a few kilometres away there are orders given that brings suffering to the people of a whole country. This is my personal decision and I am absolutely convinced it is the right one."
His compatriot Farke has seemingly taken a similar decision.
While Krasnodar have not outlined the reasoning for Farke and his entire backroom staff leaving, they did confirm the four coaches have left by "mutual agreement".
Farke was due to take charge of his first match at home to Ural next Monday.
The exit of Farke is likely to further increase the pressure on fellow German, Sandro Schwarz, who is Dinamo Moscow coach.
Schwarz, despite seeing his Ukrainian assistant Andriy Voronin leave, is quoted by BILD as saying he plans to stay.
"I'm not the kind of person who buys a ticket, gets on the next plane and takes off. It is not about me. I feel responsible," he said.
The visitors moved up to third in the Championship table after producing a storming second-half display to maintain their upward momentum.
Farke admitted Norwich had given him an almighty scare but was delighted his new team found a way to prevail.
He said: “I am exhausted and ready for the sofa after that. It was a great game, a really good advert for the Championship between two good sides.
“Norwich made it very difficult for us, as I knew they would, but in the end I thought it was a deserved win.
“In the first half we created more chances than you would expect but we missed them and Norwich scored twice.
“Normally when you are 2-0 down at half-time you would say there was something wrong but I thought, no, we are playing well. We just need to stay on it and be more clinical and we were.
“It was a brilliant second half for us and a massive three points and all the praise has to go to the players. These sort of wins are the best when it comes to building up confidence and we are all delighted.”
Farke was jubilant at the final whistle but said he kept his celebrations in check out of respect to the home fans.
“It was quite emotional for me coming back to Norwich, which will always be a special place for me,” he said.
“I had four-and-a-half unbelievable years here. So I didn’t think it would be right to dance around and celebrate over the moon, even though I was so happy with my lads.”
Leeds wasted chance after chance in the opening period and were punished as Norwich took two of theirs.
Shane Duffy opened his account for the Canaries by heading home a fourth-minute corner from Gabriel Sara, who doubled their advantage in the 43rd minute when he powered through some weak tackling to blast home.
The visitors got back in it just past the hour mark as Duffy scored at the wrong end, deflecting a Dan James cross into his own net after it had eluded keeper George Long, on for the injured Angus Gunn.
The fortunate break gave Leeds the impetus to go on and win it, with Crysencio Summerville producing well-taken strikes in the 77th and 85th minutes to turn the game on its head.
Norwich head coach David Wagner felt there were positives for his team despite the heartbreaking finish.
“In football you get praised if you win and criticised if you lose but sometimes you have to look beyond the result,” he said.
“I have mixed emotions because although I am obviously disappointed with the result there were many things about our performance that pleased me.
“My job is not to get carried away if we win of it we lose. It is to look at the performance and if we continue to perform at a good level like that we will start winning games again.
“We were up against a very good side and that is why we conceded more chances than we would normally do.
“But we created plenty ourselves and I feel really sorry for the lads because they have put in a real shift out there.
“I saw plenty of good things although I was not happy with the way we defended for the first and third goals and that is something we need to look at.”
The Canaries were two goals to the good at the break, with Shane Duffy heading home early on and Gabriel Sara firing in just before the interval.
But Duffy scored at the wrong end to bring Leeds back into it just after the hour mark and a late double from star man Crysencio Summerville turned the match on its head and earned the visitors all three points.
The defeat continued a poor run from the Canaries while it maintained the upward momentum of the visitors, who have now lost just once in 10 Championship games.
It was an action-packed first half with Norwich scoring early and late and Leeds missing a whole host of chances in between.
The Canaries went in front after just four minutes when the first corner of the game from Sara was headed in at the near post by Duffy, with the defender’s first goal for the club owing much to some poor marking from the visitors.
Farke’s side reacted to the early setback in impressive fashion but lacked a killer touch in front of goal.
Summerville curled an effort just wide and Georginio Rutter fired straight at Angus Gunn before three presentable chances were wasted in the space in three minutes midway through the half.
Glen Kamara was off target after playing a neat one-two with Rutter and Joel Piroe also got his angles wrong after being put through by Dan James before Rutter fired another effort wide.
It was by no means all Leeds, however.
City also had their moments after the disruption of losing Gunn to what looked liked a thigh injury, with George Long coming on for his league debut on the half-hour mark.
Their efforts were rewarded on 43 minutes when they stretched their lead.
Onel Hernandez did well to pick out Sara in a crowded area after a burst down the left and the Brazilian midfielder muscled his way through some weak tackling to blast the ball home.
Leeds continued to press after the break but they needed a slice of good fortune to reduce the arrears on 63 minutes.
James did well to get to the byline after a swift counter-attack and his cross evaded Long before hitting the back-tracking Duffy and trickling over the line.
Illan Meslier did well to tip a curling free-kick from Sara around the post and then parry an effort from Jack Stacey as Norwich sought to restore their two-goal advantage.
But Leeds kept pushing and got a deserved equaliser on 77 minutes.
Norwich left Summerville unmarked on the edge of the box at a corner and were punished as the Dutchman fired home in impressive fashion, with his looping shot going in off the far post.
Leeds completed a dramatic turnaround as Summerville scored his second eight minutes later after Norwich had been caught short at the back when pushing forward.
Summerville had a clear run at goal from inside his own half and made the most of it as he powered forward before cutting inside and burying a low shot past the exposed Long.
With Hull and West Brom’s drawing earlier in the day, the Canaries had the opportunity to close to within a point of the play-off places and looked on course to do so after their early superiority was reflected in Marcelino Nunez’s 22nd-minute opener – his first goal of the season.
They could not turn the screw, though, and Blackburn fought back, deservedly equalising through Dominic Hyam’s first goal in 17 months in the 56th minute.
Norwich have lost just once in their last nine outings and are a place and three points behind sixth-placed Hull, and although Wagner felt his side deserved the victory, he was frustrated at the nature of the equaliser.
He said: “Offensively we played some good football, played from our structure, created enough to score more than only one goal.
“Defensively, we put a shift in, we worked hard. Yes we gave one other opportunity away but in general I think it was a good away performance.
“I’m frustrated at the result to be totally honest, not to win this game after the opportunities which we created, after we got the lead.
“To concede off a set piece, off the corner, this is what frustrates a little bit, but at the end of the day the performance was good.
“We have to be focused on the performances because in recent weeks, the players have performed on a very good level.
“Nothing is decided today. We have a lot of games to play, a lot of points to collect. This game is gone, we got a point, we should have got three.”
Since changing head coach Blackburn have stemmed the tide of defeats and have lost just once in five.
Sam Gallagher was denied three times in the first half before Hyam’s equaliser.
Rovers are four points clear of danger, but John Eustace focused on the team’s “character and commitment” to fight back.
He said: “I thought it was a very good performance.
“We were up against one of the top teams in the league at the moment. They’re in a good run of form.
“I thought we created some really good chances in the first half, showed great character to come back in the second half and equalise, which I think is the first time this season at home we’ve managed to do that.
“We’re making small steps forward and I was pleased with the point in the end. I’d have loved three points of course, but again, I thought the lads showed great commitment and character to come from behind.
“To win a game or to stay in games, you have to show that level of commitment and be very difficult to play against. You have to earn the right to play.
“I thought our football at times today was very good. We created two or three fantastic chances from some really good moves.
“It’s about being patient and you can see us growing as a group.”
Jonathan Rowe scored for the fourth successive game to give the Canaries a first-half lead before Josh Sargent and Ashley Barnes struck early in the second period.
Millwall substitute Aidomo Emakhu pulled one back in added time but Norwich were worthy winners as they extended their unbeaten start to the campaign.
“I am very pleased with the performance,” Wagner said. “We created many opportunities, scored some good goals and could have scored more.
“We were also solid at the back and showed the sort of fight you always have to have against a side like Millwall.
“I had a feeling in pre-season that we had got something going here and we have now carried that on into the season proper.
“We have performed well so far and although it is only early days we have given ourselves a good platform to build on. Now we need to keep that going in the three matches we have before the international break.”
The former Huddersfield boss was full of praise for Barnes, who opened his Norwich account by netting his 100th goal as a professional.
Wagner added: “The goals speak for themselves with Ashley but he is also very good defensively and works his socks off for the team. I love working with him, he is a good pro and a great guy as well.”
A big travelling contingent made their discontent with manager Gary Rowett clear during and after the game.
And the Millwall boss admitted the abuse had been tough to take.
“To be fair if you are a fan you spend a lot of time and money on following your club and you can say what you want,” Rowett said.
“I understand they were frustrated with a poor performance but as a human being what they were saying about me is something I found disappointing and hurtful.
“No-one likes to hear things like that said about them but I have to take it on the chin, and I suppose I would prefer them to take it out on me rather than the players.
“We need a reaction from everyone, myself and my staff included, and have to work hard to turn this around. We had a great start at Middlesbrough but since then we have had three poor defeats.
“I can take getting outplayed by Norwich, because they are a good side who will be up there at the end of the season, but I can’t take getting out-fought and out worked. I was very disappointed with the way we played today.”
Second-half goals from Josh Sargent and Borja Sainz saw the hosts stay on the fringes of the top-six battle.
Callum O’Hare had given the Sky Blues the lead shortly after the break before they finished the game with 10 men after Liam Kitching was sent off.
Wagner said: “I thought it was a fantastic afternoon, both with the result and the performance which I also thought was top class, especially in the first half.
“We didn’t get the goal we deserved and then went behind early in the second half with a goal that was avoidable from our point of view.
“But the players reacted well and to come back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 against a top side like Coventry is a fantastic achievement.
“It was good the players from the bench made an impact and that’s how it should be. We have a competitive group so when we lose our top scorer (Jon Rowe who missed the game with a hand injury) we can cope.
“It’s another good step in the right direction and we now look forward to the next challenge at QPR next Saturday.”
Norwich’s scorers both picked up injuries in the early part of the season but now appear to be back to something nearing their best.
Wagner added: “Borja has shown he can score great goals but he also put in a shift, which was very pleasing.
“Josh has shown what a big miss he was for us for four months – he can’t be at his best yet but he is working hard and I am looking forward to seeing what he can do over the next 16 games.”
After a low-key opening period the game burst into life three minutes into the second period when the visitors took the lead.
Norwich carelessly lost possession on the edge of their box and Victor Torp was able to play in O’Hare, who tricked his way past two defenders before curling the ball past Angus Gunn.
The Canaries responded well and were back on level terms on the hour mark as Sargent rifled home the loose ball after substitute Ashley Barnes’ effort had been blocked.
The Sky Blues were forced to play the final 19 minutes with 10 men following the dismissal of Kitching for bringing down Sargent as the USA international prepared to race into the box – and the home side made the extra man tell.
With six minutes of normal time remaining, Sainz exchanged passes with Barnes on the edge of the area before finding the far corner with a delightful finish to settle a keenly-contested encounter.
Coventry manager Mark Robins felt his side were unlucky to come out of the game empty-handed.
He said: “I can’t help feeling hard done by after that – we played some decent football out there and to come away with nothing was bitterly disappointing.
“There’s no doubt the red card changed the game – at that point I felt we had a good chance to go and win it.
“We were still in it with 10 men but Norwich have a lot of quality and they punished us in the end.
“In the end I think it comes down to taking chances – we scored a good goal and then Haji Wright has had an excellent chance to make it 2-0 and I think it would have been game over then, red card or not.
“The keeper has made a save but he shouldn’t have had that chance. Kasey (Palmer) has also had a great chance at 1-1 but the keeper has saved again.
“It is a disappointing result and we also lose Liam Kitching for a couple of games now as it was his second sending off while Ben Sheaf is out for six-to-eight weeks.
“But we just have to take this on the chin – the games are coming thick and fast now and there are plenty of other good players in the building.”
The Canaries went into the Championship clash on the back of a 6-2 drubbing at Plymouth last weekend, having also lost to Fulham with a much-changed team in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Wagner was impressed with his side’s response to the setback with second-half goals from Gabriel Sara and Jonathan Rowe securing the points.
He said: “It is not a match I like talking about and it was good that we put it to bed.
“The Plymouth defeat showed what can happen when you lose your structure in a game – but I couldn’t be happier with the way we played today.
“We looked in control, we defended well and we created our moments. We scored two excellent goals and after that our game management was really good.
“There is no doubt we got what we deserved – there was a lot of focus out there, a lot of effort and most importantly of all we got the win.
“I think the players learned their lessons from the previous league game – there have been two good performances since then, at Fulham in the cup as well as today, and now it is time to look forward, with a busy spell of games coming up.”
The match was settled by two goals inside five minutes early in the second half.
Sara set the ball rolling for Norwich by heading home a Dimitris Giannoulis cross after 55 minutes and it was 2-0 just before the hour mark when Rowe burst through the middle and fired past the exposed John Ruddy.
Birmingham had their moments, with Jay Stansfield being denied by Angus Gunn just before the opening goal and Koji Miyoshi hitting the crossbar.
But they were second best on the day and have now gone five league games without a win after starting the campaign in impressive fashion.
“It’s frustrating because there have been some excellent performances in that spell,” said manager John Eustace.
“We didn’t deserve to lose at Watford and Preston and should have beaten QPR in our last home game.
“Today we were up against a top team, with top players, who will probably finish in the top two or three this season and that needs to be taken into account.
“We were perhaps a little too passive in the first half but we defended well and then created some good chances and could have gone ahead just before they scored.
“I was very disappointed with the way we defended for their two goals -it was so sloppy and not like us – and it was always tough after that.
“But overall it has been a solid start to the season, with just three defeats in nine games, and we now have two home games coming up which we are looking forward to.”
The Canaries had to battle hard to secure a third straight win at Carrow Road but got their noses in front just before the break through Jack Stacey and then defended well in the second half to secure the points.
Wagner said: “I thought we played a lot of good stuff in the first half, kept going to the end and finally got our reward.
“Then in the second we had to dig in at times to get the result. Sometimes in football players get asked questions, about the need to work hard and put in a shift and they have done that.
“It was a tough game against a strong Stoke side with a lot of good individuals and we have come away with a deserved win.
“The only thing I can complain about is the way we managed the game in the final five minutes when we should have be taking the ball to the corner flag rather than going for a second goal.”
A scrappy match with few highlights was settled by a 44th minute goal from Stacey, his first for the Canaries since signing in the summer from Bournemouth.
The defender was in the right place at the right time to convert from close range after a cross from the right from Christian Fassnacht had taken a fortunate deflection off Mehdi Leris.
Norwich barely threatened after that but Stoke also struggled to get a clear sight of goal.
Tyrese Campbell missed a great chance to equalise almost straight away, dragging a first-time shot wide from a good position, and substitute Dwight Gayle failed to convert a close-range chance in stoppage time.
But the hosts had few anxious moments as they maintained their bright start to the campaign.
Wagner also praised goal hero Stacey, adding: “He scored a good goal, got plenty of crosses in and was also solid in his defensive work. He has done well since he arrived and we are delighted to have him.”
Stoke manager Alex Neil was frustrated to come away from his former hunting ground empty-handed.
He said: “I am very disappointed we didn’t get something – I certainly don’t think we deserved to lose the game.
“It always looked like a game which would be won by the more clinical team and that’s the way it turned out.
“We had four or five good opportunities but didn’t manage to score any of them while they scored a scruffy goal from just about the only time we didn’t defend our box properly.
“I thought the performance was really encouraging at a really difficult place to come but I would rather we’d played poorly and won. On another day we could certainly have won the game.
“It’s difficult because we are working with a new-look squad and we have lost a number of players with injuries but I have no complaints with the effort they put in today.”
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.”
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.”
The 19-year-old Jamaica international, on loan from Wolves, blasted the Millers ahead before Jordan Hugill added a second.
Christian Fassnacht gave the Canaries hope but they suffered their first Championship defeat of the season as Rotherham celebrated a first win.
Norwich had the first chance of the game and it was carved out by Dimitris Giannoulis down the left wing but his cut-back was diverted wide by Gabriel Sara.
Luton loanee Fred Onyedinma came within inches of bagging his third goal in as many home games when he showed great skill in the box before rattling the post with a powerful effort.
The opener came from the next attack in the 22nd minute with a long throw falling towards Lembikisa who lashed an unstoppable drive into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Viktor Johansson was first brought into action by Ashley Barnes who tried to curl into the bottom corner from distance but the Swede got down well to save.
Rotherham were still having the better of the play and deservedly doubled their lead after 40 minutes when Hugill guided in a pinpoint cross from Cafu.
Norwich started the second half with more purpose and threatened when Sara’s low corner was poked just wide by Kenny McLean.
They got a goal back after 50 minutes with Jonathan Rowe supplying Fassnacht to poke in at the near post.
Rotherham could have restored their two-goal advantage with a counter-attack move led by Hugill and Cohen Bramall but Andre Green misjudged his header at the back post.
A deflected cross from Jack Stacey then posed problems for Johansson who would have been relieved to see it strike the outside of the post.
Cafu came agonisingly close to a third for Rotherham with a stunning curling effort after Ollie Rathbone had glided by McLean down the left flank.
Another big chance fell the way of Stacey but he could not get a solid connection on his strike.
Lembikisa had to do some last-ditch defending to block an effort as the visitors cranked up the pressure in the final five minutes.
Substitute Przemyslaw Placheta should have done better with an effort from Tony Springett’s centre but he could not get on top of his strike and it sailed off target.
