Norwich moved to within two points of the Championship play-off zone with a comfortable 2-0 win over lowly Huddersfield at Carrow Road.
The Canaries were dominant throughout and finally made their superiority count with second-half goals from Sam McCallum, his first for the club, and Borja Sainz.
The win made it five in eight games for David Wagner’s in-form side, who suddenly look like genuine promotion contenders after struggling for form earlier in the season.
But Wagner’s former club failed to register a shot on goal until the 87th minute, a tame effort from Delano Burgzorg, and with just one win in 11 will need to improve quickly if they are to avoid a long relegation battle.
Huddersfield goalkeeper Chris Maxwell produced a magnificent save to keep the scoreline level at the break after a first half which was largely controlled by the hosts. It looked a goal all the way when Ashley Barnes connected with Jack Stacey’s cross at the back post but Maxwell was somehow able to move across and claw away his powerful header.
Although Norwich dominated the opening period that was the only time they looked likely to score, with the Terriers defending well to keep them at arm’s length.
The in-form Jon Rowe had a shot well blocked after tackling Huddersfield defender Yuta Nakayama on the right and Gabriel Sara fired a free-kick into the wall from a dangerous position, but those were rare moments of alarm for the visitors.
At the other end Town failed to register an effort on goal in the first half, although Jaheim Headley would have had one had his control not let him down in a good position.
It took Norwich less than two minutes of the second period to make their superiority count, with half-time substitute McCallum the unlikely hero.
The defender, who had just replaced the injured Dimitris Giannoulis, was perfectly placed to head in Marcelino Nunez’s cross from close range after a half-cleared corner had been recycled.
Rowe and Sara both had long-range efforts comfortably gathered by Maxwell as the Canaries continued to press, before substitute Christian Fassnacht headed over with the goal at his mercy.
But a second Norwich goal looked inevitable and it finally arrived from a quick breakaway in the 73rd minute, with Sainz picking up possession on the left side of the box before picking his spot in the far corner to double City’s advantage.
Vardy eyes 100-point season after Leicester's title win
Jamie Vardy has challenged his Leicester City team-mates to reach 100 points after sealing the Championship title with one game to spare.
The Foxes were promoted back to the Premier League without kicking a ball after Leeds United’s 4-0 defeat to QPR on Friday, but they needed to win on Monday to earn top spot.
Enzo Maresca’s side cruised to a 3-0 victory over Preston through Vardy’s brace and Kasey McAteer’s header, moving them to 97 points.
With one last milestone in their reach, Vardy wants to make sure they end an already successful season on a high.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “We can celebrate it tonight, but now we have another target which is 100 points.
“We are over the moon. It has gone by quick but it's a graft. Not many days off, I'll tell you that.
“The lads - they've given it all. Thoroughly deserved, and I'm glad we've had 5000 to come and celebrate with us. It's not like it's 20 minutes up the road."
After a run of just three victories from nine games in the league between mid-February and April, Leicester have now won each of their last three outings.
Maresca has praised his players for their hard work in what he labelled a “tough season”.
“Fantastic, it's been a fantastic season. The Championship is a tough season and very intense, but I'm very happy," said Maresca.
"Now it's time to enjoy the work of the season to bring this special club back to the Premier League. We deserve it.
“The last two days they have been fantastic. We got promoted, but it was difficult in game preparation. But we used all of today to prepare for the game, the morning and afternoon. It was good.”
Preston 0-3 Leicester City: Foxes seal Championship title in style
Leicester City cruised to a 3-0 win over Preston in the Championship on Monday to clinch the title with a game to spare.
Jamie Vardy was the star for the Foxes as he scored in both halves before Kasey McAteer made sure of the points with an unmarked header.
Abdul Fatawu had the chance to cap an already memorable night for the travelling fans but hit the post with his curler.
Preston slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat, while Leicester go into their final game against Blackburn Rovers with the knowledge that they will lift the trophy after the final whistle.
Data Debrief
Jamie Vardy has scored 18 goals this season (two in this game), more than any other Leicester player in the competition. He has also netted in his last three games, scoring four goals in total.
It was a dominant performance from the Foxes, who had 19 shots with 11 of those on target. At the other end, Preston only managed to test Jakub Stolarczyk once from their five attempts.
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
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