Norwich maintained their excellent start to the season at Carrow Road with a third straight home win as they beat Stoke 1-0 to keep up with the early pacemakers in the Championship.
A scrappy game with few clear opportunities was settled by a 44th-minute goal from defender Jack Stacey, his first for the Canaries since his arrival from Bournemouth during the summer.
It was a deserved win for the hosts, although they rarely hit the heights against a Stoke side who also struggled to create as they slipped to a fourth defeat in six league games.
Both sides looked short of ideas early on, with the warm conditions clearly having an affect on the pace of play, and it wasn’t until the later stages of the half that the game livened up.
The first good chance at either end didn’t arrive until the 39th minute and it was wasted by Norwich striker Adam Idah, who got a firm connection inside a crowded area but fired straight at Mark Travers.
Jon Rowe did likewise a couple of minutes later after working himself some space by cutting inside from the left but the late pressure did eventually tell, with the hosts taking the lead just before the break.
Christian Fassnacht set the goal up by dinking in a cross from the right and Stacey was in the perfect place to fire home from close range following a fortunate deflection off defender Mehdi Leris.
Stoke almost got back on level terms from their next attack but Tyrese Campbell screwed his shot wide from a good position after being set up by Wouter Burger.
The visitors started the second half brightly, with Campbell having a decent effort blocked, but Norwich looked comfortable enough after their excellent finish to the first.
The Canaries gave a debut to on-loan South Korea international Hwang Ui-jo as they went looking for a second, which nearly arrived on the hour mark when Fassnacht lifted the ball just over after muscling his way through.
Stoke still posed a threat, as they emphasised on 77 minutes when skipper Josh Laurent curled an excellent effort just over from distance, and they almost grabbed a point in the final minute of stoppage time, with substitute Dwight Gayle making a mess of a close-range opportunity.
Alonso says Leverkusen can still improve as unbeaten run reaches 48 games
Xabi Alonso believes his Bayer Leverkusen side can still improve after they extended their unbeaten run to 48 matches across all competitions on Sunday, equalling Benfica's European record.
Champions Leverkusen thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the Bundesliga to match Benfica's 48-game unbeaten run between 1963 and 1965 – a record across all competitions in Europe.
Alonso, however, still feels there is more to come.
"Our level, our consistency throughout the season is great. But we are always moving forward. We are always concentrating on the work and improving," he said.
Leverkusen, who are edging closer to an unbeaten season across all competitions, have two league matches remaining and are also set to face Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final on May 25.
They also hold a 2-0 lead over Roma at the halfway stage of their Europa League semi-final tie, with Thursday's second leg offering them the chance to surpass Benfica's record on home soil.
"It's a big challenge, we have two [Bundesliga] games left, it will be the perfect run. We will certainly try," Alonso said.
"We still have games to play to achieve our big goals in all competitions. The next game is important for us, the second leg of the Europa League semi-final: a chance to reach the final.
"In football it's sometimes difficult to stop. You have to prepare for the next game. The next game is a big game for us. Hopefully we have the chance to be in a European final again."
Leverkusen will play Bochum and Augsburg in their final two Bundesliga games.
Should they progress to the Europa League final, they will then face either Atalanta or Marseille in Dublin on May 22, three days before the DFB-Pokal showpiece game.
Ronaldo delivers another hat-trick as Al Nassr ease past Al Wedha
Cristiano Ronaldo crafted a decisive hat-trick as Al Nassr hammered Al Wedha 6-0 in Saturday's Saudi Pro League meeting.
Portugal veteran Ronaldo found the net twice in the first 12 minutes at Al Awal Park before completing his treble after the interval.
Sadio Mane teed up Ronaldo's third finish, as well as an 18th-minute strike from Otavio, who returned the favour for the Senegal international to score on the stroke of half-time.
Mohammed Al Fatil added a late sixth as Al Nassr recorded their seventh straight league win since their March 7 loss against Al Raed, moving them back within nine points of leaders Al Hilal.
Jorge Jesus's Al Hilal swept Al Tauwoon aside in a 3-0 away triumph on Friday for their fourth straight victory across all competitions.
Talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic opened the scoring at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium before Saud Abdulhamid and Saleh Alsherhi wrapped up a win that kept Al Hilal in charge of the title race.
There was no such fortune for fifth-placed Al Ittihad as they fell to a third straight defeat in all competitions after a 3-1 loss away against Abha.
Jota levelled after Grzegorz Krychowiak's 57th-minute penalty, only for Hassan Al-Ali and Fabian Noguera to power hosts Abha to a comfortable win.
Pioli focused on Genoa clash as speculation intensifies over Milan exit
Milan's disappointing campaign has put Stefano Pioli under scrutiny but his full concentration remains on a positive end to the season.
The Rossoneri are second in Serie A but 19 points adrift of champions Inter, and their fans suffered witnessing their fierce rivals secure the Scudetto in the recent derby win at San Siro.
That has only increased media reports about Pioli's dismissal once the season ends, with fans also protesting at the situation Milan face.
"My task shouldn't be complicated, there are four games left," Pioli told a press conference before Sunday's home game against Genoa.
"It's true that outside they talk about everything except the games, but not us. We have a great sense of responsibility. Then we'll see what the future is at the end of the season."
Some Italian reports have suggested Pioli could move to Napoli, though the Milan head coach refuted those claims.
"No thoughts, other than the next four games. At the end of the season, I'll meet with Milan and we'll see what to do," Pioli said.
"You've waited a long time, wait a little longer to talk about the future, the work is not done. The reality is I have another year on my contract with Milan and I won't speak to any other club while I'm under contract."
The atmosphere is tense around the club, and Milan ultras have announced they will not support the team against Genoa, remaining in silence without any banners or flags, as a form of protest against the owners.
"Our fans have always been an added value, especially in difficult moments. And I don't forget it," Pioli continued.
"They have taken this position and we respect it, then we have to do everything to win the game."
Milan have a five-point lead over Juventus in third and Genoa are 12th on 42 points, moving out of relegation danger.
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