Norwich head coach David Wagner was happy to take a point after seeing his play-off chasing side held to a 1-1 draw by Bristol City at Carrow Road.

The Canaries went into the match with eight successive home victories behind them but failed to hit the heights of recent months against in-form opposition and had to come from behind to secure a hard-fought draw.

The draw took Norwich level with fifth-placed West Brom and kept them six points clear of the chasing pack with games running out.

“I am satisfied with the point – if you can’t win a game it is important you take something from it and that is what we have done today,” said Wagner.

“It is another small step closer to our target and the gap between ourselves and the teams chasing us is the same, so that is good.

“We were up against a good side and our performance and energy levels were not as high as they have been recently. We know we can play a lot better than that – but players are only human.

“I can’t complain about their effort and attitude but we were not at our best level today.

“There were a lot of turnovers, giving them opportunities and we were fortunate we had a top level keeper like Gunny (Angus Gunn) out there.

“He was outstanding today – and has shown why I feel he is the best keeper in this league.”

Both goals came in a three-minute spell early in the second half, with a shock Bristol City opener being quickly cancelled out.

The Robins, who went close on several occasions in the opening period, got their noses in front on 56 minutes when defender Haydon Roberts got on the end of a Tommy Conway cutback to score his first league goal for the club.

But the visitors were quickly brought down to earth when they were short at the back as a quick ball forward found Josh Sargent and Norwich’s top scorer squared for Borja Sainz to complete the easiest of finishes.

Bristol City boss Liam Manning was delighted with the performance of his side.

“There were a lot of positives from the game,” he said. “In the first half especially we took the game to them and created a lot of good chances and I suppose the only disappointment was that we failed to take them.

“This is really tough place to come but we went out and played really well against a very good side.

“I guess it says something that we have come away from here with a point and are still a little bit disappointed.

“I thought the players were excellent – they showed a lot of quality on the ball and the work-rate and commitment was there too.

“We are on a good run now, I think that’s six unbeaten and we want to maintain these levels in the next two games, to finish the season in the best way possible.”

Norwich took another tentative step towards the Championship play-offs as they came from behind to pick up a hard-fought point in a 1-1 draw with Bristol City.

The Canaries failed to make it nine straight home wins at Carrow Road but the draw took them level with fifth-placed West Brom and kept them six points clear of the chasing pack with games running out.

The in-form Robins created plenty of chances and deservedly took the lead early in the second half when Haydon Roberts finished off a slick move to score his first goal for the club.

But Norwich showed what they were made of by equalising from their next attack, Borja Sainz tapping the ball home after being set up for the easiest of chances by the Canaries’ top scorer Josh Sargent.

Both sides had their chances in an entertaining first half, with the visitors wasting the best of them after just 13 minutes.

Mark Sykes found himself with a clear run on goal after being fed by Scott Twine but, despite having plenty of time to assess his options, he was well off target as he clipped the ball over the advancing Angus Gunn.

Twine also hit the crossbar with a deflected free-kick as the Robins gave as good as they got, while at the other end Sargent saw an early shot come back off the woodwork after being picked out on the edge of the box by Sainz.

The Canaries almost took the lead in unlikely fashion two minutes after the restart when a low Marcelino Nunez corner ran along the line, with no-one in a yellow shirt able to get a touch.

But it was the visitors who took the lead on 56 minutes after putting together a slick move on the left. It started with Tommy Conway finding the overlapping Cameron Pring in space and ended with Roberts sweeping home in emphatic fashion.

Norwich found the perfect response however, equalising within a couple of minutes as a ball through the middle caught out the Robins’ defence, allowing Sargent to square for Sainz, who managed to stay onside to apply the simplest of finishes.

As the game opened up it took a superb reaction stop from Max O’Leary to keep out a stinging drive from the recently introduced Jon Rowe while Gunn had to be at his best to foil Anis Mehmeti when the ball broke kindly for the Robins’ substitute.

But both defences held firm as the game ended all square, a fair result for both teams.

Norwich head coach David Wagner praised the attitude of his side after they hammered bottom club Rotherham 5-0 to move back into the Championship play-off zone.

The Canaries were professionalism personified as they ruthlessly dismantled a side who arrived at Carrow Road with eight successive defeats behind them.

“It was a top-class performance, a fantastic afternoon,” said Wagner. “In every game you play you need the players to show passion, hunger and desire and we saw all those things from them today.

“It was a game people were expecting us to win but you have to prepare properly whoever you are playing. We did that and then, from the very first minute, the players were focused, they were really on it.

“We scored some really good goals and defended well to keep a clean sheet. The players deserve all the credit they get after that.”

He added: “I would rather be in the top six than not with nine games to go, but at the moment it is not important.

“From now on I want us to be super ambitious, but very humble, talk less and work more. Because the only thing that matters is where we are after 46 games.”

Norwich wrapped up the points in the first half, scoring four goals as they ruthlessly emphasised the gulf in class between the two sides.

They went ahead after 13 minutes as some poor defending allowed Jack Stacey to get in a cross from the right for an unmarked Gabriel Sara to head home.

Jacob Sorensen nodded in a Sara corner to make it 2-0 after 21 minutes and it was three just past the half-hour mark as Borja Sainz collected a loose ball in midfield and ran unchallenged before lashing the ball home from just outside the box.

Josh Sargent made it 12 for the season on the cusp of half-time, sweeping home Stacey’s low cross at the back post, and Sara completed the rout two minutes after the break, brilliantly volleying into the top corner after Sargent’s effort had been saved by Viktor Johansson.

Norwich took their foot off the gas after that but Rotherham still failed to muster an effort worthy of the name as they slumped to a ninth straight defeat, and their second 5-0 reverse in the space of five days.

“It was a poor performance, a poor result and a poor reaction to the defeat in midweek,” admitted Millers manager Leam Richardson, whose side are 20 points adrift of safety.

“There is a way we want to finish the season, and it is certainly not like this. There were two ‘worldie’ goals in there I suppose, but there was also some bad defending – the first one was just basic stuff which we didn’t get right.

“I picked the side and I take full responsibility. It has been a horrible week for the staff and the players but the people I feel really sick for are the fans who have come all the way to Coventry and Norwich to support us.

“We just need to start picking up some points again. There is a very flat feeling at club at the moment but there are still nine games to go for us to do something about that.”

Norwich got their Championship play-off bid well and truly back on track after a midweek defeat as they hammered bottom side Rotherham 5-0 at Carrow Road.

The Canaries bounced back from a 3-1 reverse at Middlesbrough in the perfect fashion by recording their biggest win of the season, with four of the goals coming in a one-sided first half.

Gabriel Sara led the way with a brace to reach double figures for the campaign while Jacob Sorensen, Borja Sainz and the prolific Josh Sargent were also on target.

For Rotherham it was a ninth straight defeat, and their second 5-0 reverse in a row, and there is now every chance their seemingly inevitable relegation will be confirmed before the end of the month.

Norwich had the game won by half-time, with a mixture of slick attacking play and some abysmal defending from the visitors contributing to the scoreline.

The stage was set as early as the 13th minute when Jack Stacey crossed for an unmarked Sara to head home the simplest of openers.

Rotherham defender Cameron Humphreys contributed to the goal with a weak attempt to stop the ball coming in, and the Millers were all at sea again after 21 minutes as the Norwich made it two.

This time a Sara corner from the right was guided home by the Sorensen for his first goal of an injury-hit campaign, with no visiting defenders near him.

Norwich’s third just past the half-hour mark came from a superb run and strike from Sainz, who won an appeal against a midweek red card on Friday – but again Rotherham failed to put in a tackle or block.

Top scorer Sargent twice went close to increasing the lead before getting his goal on the stroke of half-time, converting at the back post after being picked out by a fast-breaking Stacey.

The outclassed visitors failed to muster an effort of any kind in an embarrassingly one-sided opening period and they found themselves further behind two minutes after the break.

Keeper Viktor Johansson did well to keep out a powerful drive from Sargent but the ball spun out towards Sara who conjured up a brilliant acrobatic volley into the top corner to make it 5-0.

David Wagner’s side tended to take their foot off the pedal slightly after that, with Millers’ substitute Jordan Hugill finally registering his side’s first effort of note with a header which sailed well over.

The hosts had several opportunities to stretch their lead in the closing stages but had to settle for a nap hand.

Norwich head coach David Wagner singled out Kenny McLean for praise after watching his side continue their Championship play-off bid with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Sunderland at Carrow Road.

Josh Sargent’s late goal earned the Canaries a narrow win and while Wagner was delighted with the American’s display, he felt it was McLean’s contribution that should be highlighted.

He said: “When Kenny woke up on Thursday he was struggling to walk and he was not able to train on Thursday or Friday.

“He had stiffness in the back and full credit to him and our medical staff that he was able to play. He is a top, top professional who does everything he can to be successful, a proper Scottish braveheart!

“Josh also turned in top performance, not just with the goal but the way he linked play and worked hard to close them down.”

Wagner added: “We were up against a good, well-organised team and had to work hard to break them down.

“But I thought it was a deserved win, we created a lot of good chances and also defended really well, restricting them to very few box entries. I was very pleased with the performance and now we have to keep it going.”

The game was settled by an 81st-minute goal from Sargent, who scored for the seventh successive home game and took his tally to 11 in an injury-hit campaign overall.

The USA international shrugged off the attentions of two Sunderland defenders when a Ben Gibson cross came over and when they ball bounced kindly for him swivelled and fired home from close range.

It was a deserved goal for the Canaries who had carved out the better chances.

Visiting substitute Abdoullah Ba hit the woodwork just before the Norwich winner but the hosts were on the front foot for most of the game and goalkeeper Anthony Patterson made a number of good saves to keep them out until nine minutes from time.

The defeat left Sunderland nine points adrift of the top six but interim head coach Mike Dodds isn’t giving up on the play-offs just yet.

He said: “I look back to this time last season when I think we were in a very similar position to where we find ourselves now.

“Then we went on an unbelievable run to take it to the final game of the season and there’s no reason why we can’t do that again.

“I look at the players and I don’t see a group that are giving up on it. They are a group who are really close to turning it around and sooner or later I believe the tide will turn.

“We have now got two matches coming up against two of the best teams in the league and we are really looking forward to it.”

As for the game itself, he added: “Norwich are a really good side, especially at home, and I thought for long spells we nullified their threat, even though we have to do better with their goal.

“Going forward we got into some good positions but we have a lot better quality in the final third than we showed.

“I have got faith in the players but when we got in their area we were a bit tense and erratic.”

Josh Sargent scored for the seventh successive home game as Norwich maintained their Championship play-off challenge with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sunderland.

The USA international struck in the 81st minute as the Canaries finally found a way past a stubborn visiting defence to make it five victories on the trot at Carrow Road.

While Norwich can look forward to an exciting end the campaign, it looks like being a different story for the visitors, with a fourth consecutive defeat leaving them nine points adrift of the top six.

After a cagey start Norwich went close to taking the lead on 15 minutes when Sargent’s first-time drive was deflected just wide by Jenson Seelt.

It then took a superb finger-tip save from Anthony Patterson to thwart Borja Sainz after the Spaniard had latched on to a loose ball when a corner was only half cleared.

These were rare moments of alarm for Sunderland, however, with both sides tending to cancel each other out in a tight opening period.

Pierre Ekwah had two long-range efforts for the visitors, one comfortably saved and the other sailing well wide, and those proved to be their only shots of the half.

Norwich started the second period on the front foot, with Jack Stacey’s right-wing cross almost catching Patterson out and coming back off the crossbar.

The keeper then pushed away a Gabriel Sara shot which was heading for the bottom corner before making a good stop to keep out a fizzing low effort from Sainz.

Substitute Abdoullah Ba cut into the box and struck the woodwork from a tight angle in a rare Sunderland raid but it was the hosts who deservedly broke the deadlock with nine minutes left.

The visitors failed to deal with Ben Gibson’s cross from the right and Sargent won the battle for the ball before lashing it home from close range.

Norwich head coach David Wagner praised a ‘top quality’ performance from his side after watching them beat Cardiff 4-1 to give their Championship play-off bid a further boost.

The Canaries recovered from the shock of conceding first when totally on top to score four goals at Carrow Road for the second time in five days following Tuesday night’s 4-2 success over Watford.

Jamilu Collins put Cardiff in front but Josh Sargent (2), Gabriel Sara and substitute Christian Fassnacht replied to secure Norwich a fourth successive home win.

Wagner said: “The lads played very well, all the departments of our game were top quality.

“We started well and the only criticism I could make was we were not ruthless enough early on. But we stayed calm, kept playing our football and scored some wonderful goals.

“You can see from the way we are playing at the moment that there is a lot of confidence in the group.
All of the players are doing their jobs at a high level and full credit to them for that.

“I was also impressed with the way we defended. Cardiff are one of the best set-piece teams in the league and we didn’t concede a single corner, which was very pleasing.”

Wagner was critical of sections of the support on Tuesday, after a negative reaction to his substitutions, but was delighted with the backing today.

He added: “I thought the fans were top class and full credit to them.

“They backed their team throughout, even when we conceded, and in the end it was a great afternoon for the people in the stands – and the people on the pitch.”

Norwich were dominant throughout but fell behind against the run of play after 19 minutes when Collins squeezed the ball home at the back post after good work from Rubin Colwill.

But the hosts didn’t panic and were ahead at the break.

Sargent got them back on level terms 20 minutes later with a close-range finish after Sam McCallum’s effort had been parried by Ethan Horvath and Sara quickly made it 2-1 by curling a 20-yard free-kick into the far corner.

Norwich wrapped up the points after 54 minutes, Sargent reaching double figures in an injury-hit season as he acrobatically steered the ball home after his first shot had come back off the upright.

Fassnacht later made it back-to-back four-goal home wins when he finished emphatically after being set up by fellow substitute Sydney van Hooijdonk.

Manager Erol Bulut admitted Cardiff had been beaten by a better side on the day.

“They are a good team with a lot of good players and it was difficult for us, ” he said. “I thought we did well to stop them scoring early on and then we got a goal.

“But it was still tough, they kept coming at us and once they got their equaliser and then scored their second and third it was always going to be difficult to come back.

“It has been a difficult spell, the worst of my managerial career, but we have 40 points with 14 games left to play and there is plenty of play for.

“We need to get back to the sort of team we were at the start of the season. This team will come back again – I believe in them.”

Norwich recovered from losing a two-goal lead to beat Watford 4-2 at Carrow Road and maintain their Championship play-off push.

The Canaries appeared to be in command  after scoring twice in eight first half minutes through Ashley Barnes and Josh Sargent, only for Hornets to hit back as Mileta Rajovic netted just before the break and Yaser Asprilla scored a long-range stunner to equalise midway through the second period.

But the home side kept their nerve and two quick goals from Gabriel Sara and Christian Fassnacht sealed a hard fought win that made it nine home games without defeat, while dealing another blow to Watford’s rapidly receding hopes of finishing in the top six.

Norwich made a bright start and deservedly took the lead after 20 minutes, with a little help from goal-line technology.

When Barnes got his head on Onel Hernandez’s cross to the back post it appeared as though Ben Hamer had made a spectacular one-handed save to keep it out.

But it was all to no avail, with referee Stuart Atwell signalling a goal after being informed that the ball had crossed the line before the keeper’s last-gasp intervention.

Hamer made another save which counted for nothing eight minutes later as the Canaries doubled their advantage.

This time he parried Sargent’s penalty, awarded for a foul on Kenny McLean by Wesley Hoedt, only for the ball to rebound kindly for the American to nod home his seventh goal of an injury-hit campaign.

Norwich looked in complete control at that stage but Watford got themselves back in it through Rajovic after 42 minutes.

Ismael Kone picked out Ken Sema’s run down the inside left channel and what appeared to be an attempt at a shot turned into a perfect cross for Rajovic to poke home from inside the six-yard box.

The Hornets might have got back on level terms a few minutes later after Barnes was caught in possession in a dangerous area but Matheus Martins delayed too long and his shot was blocked.

Watford wasted another good opportunity seven minutes into the second period when Sema dragged his shot wide from a good position after being set up by Martins’ cutback.

Despite being in front Norwich were beginning to look more than a little nervous, with the crowd getting edgy too, and the mood slumped still further as the visitors scored a quite brilliant equaliser after 71 minutes.

The home defence were guilty of failing to close down substitute Asprilla as he made ground towards their goal down the left and the Colombia international took full advantage, beating Angus Gunn from all of 30 yards, with his searing effort going in off the woodwork.

It was the second time this season that Watford had come from 2-0 down to level against Norwich – but this time it was the Canaries who scored the fifth goal of the game.

With 77 minutes on the clock Barnes did well to control the ball and switch it to the overlapping Sara, and the Brazilian burst into the box before beating Hamer with a low shot into the far corner.

Five minutes later Norwich gave themselves some breathing space by making it 4-2, with Jack Stacey’s cross being turned in from close range by substitute Fassnacht via a big deflection off Ryan Porteous.

Norwich head coach David Wagner feels his team are in a good place after watching them beat West Brom 2-0 at Carrow Road to stay on the fringes of the Championship play-off race.

The Canaries have bounced back from a poor run of form to lose just twice in 12 matches in all competitions and Wagner was full of praise for his in-form team afterwards.

Josh Sargent and Jon Rowe scored either side of the break as Norwich made it back-to-back league wins.

He said: “I thought it was a superb performance from the lads, they kept up a high level for the whole game.

“We scored two good goals, showed lots of energy throughout and also defended well to keep a clean sheet – there were a lot of good things out there and we are in a good place now and we will keep on pushing.

“Where it takes us I don’t know but what I can say is that we are moving in the right direction and are competitive in this division.”

Norwich moved up to eighth, just four points behind the fifth-placed Baggies, as a result of the hard-fought victory.

The Canaries were on the back foot for long periods but defended well and, unlike their opponents, made good use of two of the opportunities that came their way.

They made their first incisive attack of the game count on 13 minutes as Sargent latched onto Kenny McLean’s through ball and fired through Alex Palmer’s poor attempt at a save.

The all-important second arrived in the 71st minute, Rowe making it 13 for the season by finishing off a slick move involving Gabriel Sara and Dimi Giannoulis.

Wagner knows the well-taken goal will only increase speculation linking Rowe with a move to a higher level but he said: “There are no signs, no indications he will move this month. I am confident he will be with us at the end of the month.

“His performance today was at a high level, the same as all the players – he went close twice in the first half, scored a good goal in the second and his energy was great throughout. He is an excellent young player but there is still a lot of work to be done.”

Baggies boss Carlos Corberan was disappointed to see his side leave Carrow Road empty-handed.

He said: “It is important we feel the pain of this defeat because only then can we have the desire to improve and put things right.

“We had some good chances in this match, especially in the second half.

“Had we taken one of those right at the start of the half it might have been a different outcome. We just needed to be a lot more clinical in front of goal.

“If you don’t take your chances you are not going to win football matches and that is something we need to work on.

“It is very frustrating because we knew what the game would be like. They are a good side and we knew they would be a threat on transitions.

“That is what happened and we needed to defend them a lot better.”

League One Bristol Rovers were more than a match for Championship outfit Norwich as they came away from Carrow Road with a well-deserved 1-1 draw.

The hosts took an early lead through Ashley Barnes but, roared on by 1,300 travelling fans, Rovers were quickly back on level terms thanks to a smart finish from Grant Ward.

The FA Cup third-round tie was an even game after that, with both sides having their chances, but that proved to be the end of scoring and Norwich were booed off at the end as the visitors claimed a replay at the Memorial Ground later this month.

Rovers made a positive start but found themselves behind after just 12 minutes as the hosts made their first genuine attack count.

A lapse from defender Tristan Crama allowed Onel Hernandez to get to the byline on the right and the City wide man crossed for Barnes to sidefoot into an unguarded net from close range.

Despite the setback, Rovers continued to take the game to their higher-ranked opponents and were deservedly back on terms within five minutes.

Keeper George Long did well to block an effort from Harvey Vale and young defender Kellen Fisher should have dealt with the loose ball but his weak clearance fell at the feet of Ward, who coolly picked out the top corner from around 12 yards.

The visitors might have got their noses in front three minutes before the break when Long was forced into an excellent reaction stop to deny Jevani Brown before Luke Thomas fired the rebound against an upright.

Both sides went close early in the second period, with Vale’s goalbound effort being blocked by Fisher before substitute Adam Idah just failed to get on the end of an inviting cross from Hernandez.

Norwich went close again when Idah fired inches wide after being picked out in the box by Liam Gibbs.

The hosts were looking the more likely winners as an entertaining tie entered its final quarter, with Barnes firing a presentable chance well over in the closing stages, but Rovers held out for a deserved replay.

Norwich head coach David Wagner praised his players for turning their season around after watching them record a comfortable 2-0 win over his former club Huddersfield at Carrow Road.

A poor run of form in the autumn had seen the Canaries slip into the bottom half of the Championship, but they have now won five games from eight to move to within two points of the play-off places.

Their latest success came courtesy of second-half goals from Sam McCallum and Borja Sainz.

Wagner said: “The players deserve all the credit for the way they reacted to that bad run.

“They went through a difficult spell but they stood together, kept their heads up and never felt sorry for themselves.

“They said ‘we are better than this, we can do better than this’ and have put together a good run to get us back up the table.

“Now we have players coming back and the challenge is to keep this going, keep delivering, like we did today.

“I thought this was another good step in the right direction – a good result, a clean sheet and also a good overall performance, which I was also pleased about.

“Sometimes when opponents sit so deep you can get frustrated when the goals don’t come early but we stuck at it and once we scored early in the second half I thought we controlled the game. We created a lot of opportunities and could have scored more goals.”

The Canaries took a deserved lead 90 seconds into the second half as half-time substitute McCallum headed in his first goal for the club.

Sainz curled in a second with 17 minutes left.

A disappointing Huddersfield side failed to register an effort on goal until the 87th minute, when the outcome had long since been decided.

Manager Darren Moore felt his side were punished for a couple of lapses in concentration.

“We had defended well in the first half, while we also had a good impetus in the game for a while, but we switched off a couple of times for their goals which is disappointing,” he said.

“For the first goal it was second phase from a corner and they put in a good cross which the lad has headed in. We needed to be concentrating better then because you never like conceding goals like that from set pieces.

“It was a similar story with the second goal and you cannot afford that against a good side like Norwich.

“I am certainly not complaining about the effort the lads put in today and there were times when he had the ball and got into some promising positions.

“When we get there we need to be more determined, arrogant if you like, to make more of our chances.”

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna declared the long-awaited East Anglian derby with Norwich as a “great occasion” and claimed that his team were better by a “considerable margin” in spite of them drawing 2-2.

His opposite number at Carrow Road, David Wagner, meanwhile, said his first ‘Old Farm’ clash between the two sides – the first for nearly four years – was “exciting” and was what was expected.

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 but failed to capitalise on their superiority.

Broadhead spurned two chance to put the Town ahead. The first came when he danced round a couple of tackles to leave him one on one with Angus Gunn in the Norwich goal but he put his shot narrowly wide of the left-hand post.

Moments later he picked up a cross from Wes Burns but fired the ball just the wrong side of the same post.

Town then spurned their third good opportunity to take the lead when Burns smashed his shot over the bar.

McKenna said: “It was a great occasion in terms of the build up and the supporters did the club proud in terms of the atmosphere they created.

“I thought it was a really good performance and we were the better team by a considerable margin, created lots and lots of chances, give away very few chances and there was lots of things that we can build on from the performance.

“Of course the frustration is conceding two goals from hopeful balls that ricochet around in our box, but beyond that there’s so many positives that we can take from the performance.

“Of course, only a point and we would have loved to have given the supporters the victory, but I think the team can certainly take a lot from that game.

“We have been so clinical at home and I think that’s a 3-0 performance in the first half if I’m honest and we go in at 1-1.

“The goals we gave away were disappointing, it’s two moments of concentration in our penalty box and a little bit of fortune in both which can happen.”

Opposite number Wagner felt the game had gone as he anticipated.

He said: “It was exciting and more or less what you expect, what you like to have… a lot of battles, a lot of energy.

“The lead changes during the game as well and I’m absolutely delighted about the shift my players put on the pitch, great togetherness, great working attitude, super fighting spirit and this the reason why it’s a deserved point for me.

“Obviously if you can’t win it you make sure you can’t lose it and this is what the players have done. We take this point.

“You have seen why Ipswich is so good at home and so good in the season in general. This was their first draw, every other game they have won and this makes it a good result for us.

“It was deserved because of the fighting spirit and of the effort which they players bought the pitch and they always believed going and fighting and close the yards in between the lines.

“Technically it was a very, very good game, they are a good side. We take the draw and this is why it was a deserved point for me.”

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.