A late strike from Borja Sainz saw Norwich come from behind to beat Coventry 2-1 in an entertaining Championship clash at Carrow Road.
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.
Al-Khaleej 0-1 Al-Nassr: Ronaldo misfires on return as Laporte nets winner
Cristiano Ronaldo returned from suspension but failed to find the net as Al-Nassr secured a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej on Saturday, with Aymeric Laporte coming up with the decisive goal.
Ronaldo was in action for the first time since being sent off for an elbow in a 2-1 Saudi Super Cup loss to Al-Hilal earlier this month, with his initial two-match ban being reduced to one on appeal.
He missed three good chances as Al-Nassr threatened to fall further behind runaway Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, but former Manchester City defender Laporte spared his blushes by nodding Marcelo Brozovic's deep free-kick into the bottom-left corner with 68 minutes gone.
Al-Nassr remain nine points adrift of Al-Hilal at the summit in spite of their win, with Jorge Jesus' team unbeaten through 28 games this season as they close in on a record-extending 18th title.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo misfires on return
Ronaldo was presented with the Saudi Pro League's Player of the Month award for March ahead of kick-off, having scored four goals in three league appearances last month.
However, his sights were off on Saturday as he failed to net despite three of the visitors' four big chances, as defined by Opta, falling his way. He led all players on the pitch for expected goals (1.27 xG), shots (five), shots on target (three) and touches in the area (nine) without reward.
Huddersfield all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off spots decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation from the Championship all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
Huddersfield Town all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off fate is decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellows strugglers Birmingham City.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
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