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.

Russell Martin was left to reflect on what might have been as his Southampton side had to be content with a 1-1 draw in their Championship clash against Norwich at Carrow Road.

The point stretched the Saints’ unbeaten run to 18 matches but with 75 per cent of possession, they were left frustrated after the match as Canaries substitute Josh Sargent’s late goal ensured honours ended even.

“I am really proud of our performance today, even though we have only taken a point,” said Saints boss Martin. “We should certainly have won the game, I don’t think anyone would argue with that. I thought we played really well, there was a good flow to our play. I certainly enjoyed watching my team out there.

“We controlled the game, we played it around really well and I thought our goal was a really good move. We created other good chances and it was frustrating that we didn’t make the most of them. When we did get some on target, Angus Gunn make some good saves.

“I was surprised with the way Norwich set up if I am being honest. This is as quiet as I have known this place and I have played plenty of games here so feel frustrated, but at the same time very proud of the players.”

Martin is sweating on the fitness of Samuel Edozie, who was substituted midway through the first half after being caught late by Jack Stacey.

“That was a naughty challenge, a red card challenge in my opinion,” he said. “If we had had VAR here I think he would have gone, but having said that you never really know with VAR, do you?”

Southampton dominated the match for long periods but had to wait until the 70th minute to get their noses in front.

The excellent Kyle Walker-Peters was the architect as he made it to the byline before delivering a low cross which deflected off Grant Hanley into the path of Adam Armstrong, who had the simple task of volleying home from close range.

The goal was no more than the Saints deserved and they looked well set to take all three points – but Norwich had other ideas and got themselves back on level terms from a rare attack eight minutes later.

A fine move through the middle involving Gabriel Sara and Jon Rowe ended with Sargent slipping the ball past Gavin Bazunu.

It was a sweet moment for the American, who had only been on the pitch for 12 minutes and was playing at Carrow Road for the first time since picking up a nasty ankle injury in August.

“It gives everyone here a big boost to see Josh back on the pitch, he’s a top quality player and a good character too,” said Norwich head coach David Wagner. “He hasn’t had much training but he was ready to come on and showed his quality with a good run and an excellent finish.

“I think it was a solid point for us, a deserved point. I thought it was an excellent defensive performance and we also threatened in transitions.

“We decided to go into this game with a 5-4-1 formation because we thought that was the right approach given the quality of the opposition and the form they have been in.

“We knew that would mean less possession for us but we have taken a point from the game and could even have taken all three, so in the end it was a good decision.”

Southampton extended their unbeaten run to 18 matches as they drew 1-1 with Norwich in the Championship at Carrow Road.

The Saints dominated the game for long periods and looked to be heading for all three points when Adam Armstrong converted from close range midway through the second half.

But Norwich kept battling away and earned themselves a share of the spoils in the 78th minute as fit-again substitute Josh Sargent finished off a slick move to register his first goal for the Canaries since picking up a serious injury in August.

The pattern of the game was established in the opening period, with Southampton dominating possession and Norwich keeping them largely at arm’s length, whilst relying on the occasional breakaway to pose a threat.

The end result was a half of few clear-cut chances at either end, with both keepers largely untroubled.

The Saints came closest to breaking the deadlock two minutes before the break when Jack Stephens hit the woodwork after being set up by a delightful touch inside the box from Armstrong.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis had sent a free header straight at Angus Gunn for the visitors, who were hampered by the loss of Samuel Edozie midway through the half following a poor challenge from Jack Stacey.

Norwich looked a threat on the rare occasions they had the ball in the Southampton half and thought they had scored on 20 minutes when Sam McCallum volleyed home a Stacey cross, but the flag had already gone up for a tight offside decision.

Half-time substitute Che Adams was only narrowly off target with an audacious 45-yard lob as the Saints continued where they left off after the break, with Joe Aribo then sending a back-post header flashing past the upright.

Creating clear-cut chances was once again an issue for the dominant Saints however, and it must have come as relief as much as anything else when they finally got the goal they deserved on 70 minutes.

The dangerous Kyle Walker-Peters did the damage as he burst into the box from the left and got to the byline before sending in a low cross that flicked off Grant Hanley for Armstrong to volley home from close range.

Norwich looked down and out at that stage but they finally put together a decent move of their own with 12 minutes remaining to get back on level terms.

Gabriel Sara and Jon Rowe were both involved as the Canaries worked the ball neatly through the middle to give substitute Sargent the chance to roll the ball past the advancing Gavin Bazunu from just inside the box.

Adams headed a Ryan Fraser cross over in injury-time and Armstrong was denied by a good stop by Gunn as Southampton sought to restore their lead but Russell Martin’s side had to settle for a point.

David Wagner criticised his Norwich players for ‘losing their heads’ and ‘doing everything wrong’ as they slipped to a second consecutive 1-0 defeat in a fiery Championship clash at 10-man Millwall.

Tom Bradshaw grabbed the decisive strike in the first half at a rocking Den as the Canaries were unable to convert sustained spells of possession into clear-cut chances.

Millwall saw George Saville shown a late red card for a cynical lunge on Jonathan Rowe after Ashley Barnes and Jake Cooper had both been booked for a pair of hot-headed altercations.

Norwich had winger Borja Sainz sent off at West Brom on Boxing Day and “angry” boss Wagner insists his team’s discipline proved fatal once again under the Friday night lights.

Wagner, whose side now sit five points away from the play-off places, said: “It was just not good enough – it was a deserved defeat at the end of the day.

“It was intense but you have to be calm, do your stuff and play football – not get dragged into the situation and get the crowd on their side.

“We’ve done more or less everything wrong when you play here, especially at Millwall away, we fought with them more than we played and we played into their cards.

“Our experienced players know exactly what it’s about here, but we lost our head and this is what makes me really angry.

“How we started, we were able to get something out of this game.

“It’s frustrating and disappointing – we started well, were good and created our moments.

“Then we conceded after a counter and totally lost the focus. We didn’t play in the right areas and never really went forward in the right areas.”

City started brightly as Barnes shot straight at Matija Sarkic and Hwang Ui-jo fired wide of the post.

But it was the hosts who took the lead in the 18th minute when Bradshaw slid in from close range after Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s inviting low delivery across the face of goal.

Angus Gunn pulled off a brilliant pair of acrobatic saves to deny both Zian Flemming and Aidomo Emakhu either side of the break.

Tempers flared on the hour mark when Barnes and Cooper were booked and the atmosphere in Bermondsey reached boiling point.

Gunn once again kept City in it with a flying stop to deny Ryan Longman before Saville saw red with two minutes remaining for a challenge on a rampaging Rowe.

Millwall are now unbeaten in four after back-to-back wins and sit eight points clear of the Championship drop zone.

Boss Joe Edwards said: “That was a pleasure to be a part of.

“It hadn’t been what it should be at The Den so it was one of the big objectives to put it right.

“It took a bit longer than we would have liked – we want a certain atmosphere and energy from the fans but it’s our job to create that.

“The fans could see from the off that our desire and energy was there, it was what we wanted to be.

“It was very difficult for Norwich to play and when it got heated in the second half, it kicked everyone on even more.

“When we then go down to 10 and we have to ride it out, the fans have to help us get through that – it was a brilliant night for us.

“Millwall away is not a fixture people look forward to playing in. We want to add an element of control and quality to our game in possession, but we don’t want to do that at the cost of that fight and aggression.”

Tom Bradshaw’s first-half strike helped Millwall extend their unbeaten run to four Championship matches with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Norwich at The Den.

The Lions striker netted his second goal in two games to inflict back-to-back defeats on David Wagner’s inconsistent Canaries.

City dominated possession throughout the first half but went into the break behind after Bradshaw poked home from close range after 18 minutes.

Wagner’s side continued to lack creativity across a toothless festive performance as Joe Edwards’ hosts survived a late George Saville red card to hold on and climb eight points clear of the drop zone.

Wagner rang the changes from City’s Boxing Day defeat at West Brom as Ben Gibson, Danny Batth, Christian Fassnacht, Onel Hernandez and Hwang Ui-jo all started in a surprise away XI.

While for Millwall, Shaun Hutchinson, Murray Wallace and Zian Flemming all came in after the Lions’ much-needed 2-0 against QPR.

The visitors started brightly as Ashley Barnes shot straight at Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic and Hwang fired wide of the post from range.

And Korean striker Hwang almost emulated his stunning 30-yard strike against Watford last month when his free-kick whistled ferociously past a post.

But it was the hosts who took the lead against the run of play when Bradshaw slid in from close range after Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s inviting low delivery across the face of goal.

City responded by enjoying several sustained spells of possession but continued to lack ideas when in the final third.

And Millwall almost punished them on the stroke of half-time when Angus Gunn pulled off a brilliant acrobatic save to deny Flemming’s venomous goalbound effort.

The Lions looked lively straight after the break as Aidomo Emakhu stung the palms of Gunn once again with a rising near-post piledriver.

And Norton-Cuffy missed a golden opportunity to double their advantage when he inexplicably headed straight at the Norwich goalkeeper while completely free in the box.

Tempers flared on the hour mark when Barnes and Jake Cooper were booked for a pair of separate altercations that saw both sets of players clash and the atmosphere in Bermondsey reach boiling point.

Wagner threw on attacking trio Jonathan Rowe, Adam Idah and Marcelino Nunez shortly after and in-form winger Rowe injected some immediate impetus down the left-hand side.

But City continued to struggle for any cutting edge as Millwall battled bravely against prolonged periods of pressure out of possession.

The contest became increasingly end-to-end as City pressed for a leveller and Bradshaw came close to grabbing another when he fired over from a tight angle.

Gunn once again kept City in it with a flying save to deny Ryan Longman before Saville saw red with two minutes remaining for a cynical late lunge on a rampaging Rowe.

City rallied for a late equaliser but suffered another defeat on the road as Millwall took a significant further step towards Championship safety.

Norwich head coach David Wagner admitted he would be having words with Borja Sainz, whose early red card potentially cost his side in the 1-0 Championship defeat against West Brom at The Hawthorns.

Winger Sainz was sent off in the 34th minute for two bookable offences within five minutes – the second for a needless dissent – after twice going close to giving the Canaries the lead.

Brandon Thomas-Asante’s 50th-minute goal sealed the points for the Baggies, who cemented their place of fifth in the table

“When you’re on a booking, you can’t ask for another yellow,” said Wagner, whose side lost their five-match unbeaten run as a result.

“Everyone knows this – this rule has not been since yesterday and this rule exists all over the world.

“So it’s something you can’t do, especially if you’ve been booked and this is why – even if it’s a harsh decision – it was the correct decision and there is no one to blame but Borja himself.

“I have to speak with him and I will do, for sure, but officially and not in public.

“If he takes what’s right out of this situation – and I’ll make sure he takes what’s right – it will be another step in his progression.

“We’ll support him but it’s my job to speak about the truth as well.”

Wagner stopped short of saying the dismissal cost Norwich the game, but it made for a change of plan at half-time.

“On one side, yes it changed the game and cost us the game, but on the other side, it doesn’t mean that you are automatically not without an chance,” he added.

“I said at half-time: ‘Is it difficult? Yes, super difficult. Is it possible? It is, so let’s go for it’.”

West Brom wasted chances galore before Thomas-Asante’s winner, with John Swift missing six openings, including hitting the post and missing a kick in front of goal.

But Norwich could have snatched an equaliser but for goalkeeper Alex Palmer keeping out substitute Ui-Jo Hwang’s shot in the 77th minute.

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan felt his side were on top, regardless of the sending off.

“The result was fair, from the way the game was going against 11 players and the way it went when we were against 10,” he said.

“I know the group wanted to take responsibility when they think something hasn’t gone well and we never want to make excuses.”

Thomas-Asante has now eclipsed his Albion tally of seven goals last season and Corberan felt the striker was back to his best.

“I wanted to see a reaction from the previous game because in the last game, I didn’t see his real level,” he added. “Today I saw him competing much better.

“I think sometimes – depending on the context of the game – it switches towards the advantages of one player.

“He’s not good at every single thing, but the important thing for him is to know what type of striker he is and play with the maximum mentality that he needs to play with.”

Brandon Thomas-Asante eased dominant West Brom back to winning ways with a 1-0 Championship victory over 10-man Norwich after the visitors had Borja Sainz needlessly sent off in the first half at The Hawthorns.

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.

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.”

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.

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.”

The much-anticipated East Anglian derby between Ipswich and Norwich, the first meeting between the two sides since 2019, ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw.

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.

Broadhead spurned the chance to put the home side ahead in the 20th minute when he danced round a couple of tackles to leave him one on one with Angus Gunn in the Norwich goal, before he put his shot narrowly wide of the left-hand post.

The Wales international was in the thick of the action moments later when he picked up a cross from Burns but he fired the ball just the wrong side of the same post.

Town then spurned their third good opportunity to take the lead when Rowe’s loose touch was pounced on by Broadhead. He worked the ball inside to George Hirst who slipped it on to Burns, but he smashed his shot over the bar.

Broadhead made up for his earlier missed chances in the 34th minute when he found the target following Town’s first corner.

The ball was cleared from the Norwich six-yard area but, after Massimo Luongo headed it back into the danger area, Hirst flicked it on and Broadhead rammed the ball home.

Norwich struck back with their first shot on target through Rowe six minutes later.

His attempted scissor kick was initially blocked by Luke Woolfenden but it landed back at the City man’s feet and he managed to find the net much to the joy of the travelling 2,004 Norwich fans among the 29,611 inside the stadium.

The visitors then took the lead through the same scorer four minutes after the break.

A throw in from Marcelino Nunez found Ashley Barnes, whose header landed at the feet of Rowe who drilled his shot through a crowded six-yard area and straight under Vaclav Hladky.

Town equalised through Burns on the hour-mark.

Broadhead and Connor Chaplin were involved in the move and the ball was moved on to Burns whose shot from the edge of the penalty area went through the legs of Norwich defender Sam McCallum and into the net.

Broadhead bent a low shot towards the far corner which Gunn pushed away and substitute Omari Hutchinson ran out of room to push the rebound home as the two teams battled for a winner in the closing minutes.

Norwich head coach David Wagner was delighted to see his side bounce back from a frustrating result at the weekend by beating Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 at Carrow Road.

The Canaries lacked a cutting edge in a goalless draw with Preston but took their chances well against the Owls to stay on the fringes of the Championship play-off zone.

“Four days ago I spoke about how frustrated I was about not taking our chances, so to put things right at the very first opportunity is very pleasing and just the way it should be,” Wagner said.

“We scored three wonderful goals, created a lot of other opportunities and also defended well, even though their set pieces caused us one or two problems.

“We scored a great goal early on and could have had more but we didn’t make it easy for ourselves and conceded an equaliser.

“It is always pleasing in those circumstances when you then go on and win the game.

“We responded well to the setback, kept our tempo, kept believing and got the result we deserved.

“We have done well in our last six games, and also did well in the first six games of the season.

“In between could have been better but now we must keep this going, making sure our performances are at a consistent level.

“We now have a big derby game (at Ipswich) and everyone is really looking forward to that.”

Norwich were set on their way by a superb seventh-minute strike from Borja Sainz, who was making his full debut after his summer move to Carrow Road.

He found the top corner with a rising drive from just outside the box to open the scoring, although Wednesday responded well and got back on level terms just past the half-hour mark with a back-post header from teenager Bailey Cadamarteri.

Norwich got their noses in front just after the restart when Ashley Barnes slid home Sainz’s left-wing cross and gave themselves some breathing space after 72 minutes, Jonathan Rowe taking advantage of some poor defending to nod home his ninth of the season.

The defeat brought to an end Wednesday’s mini revival of seven points from a possible nine, but manager Danny Rohl took the result on the chin.

“I am okay with my players after that, even though I am obviously disappointed with the result,” he said.

“Now we must recover and be ready to go again on Saturday when we have another big game (at home to fellow strugglers QPR).

“In each half we had early goals to deal with and that didn’t help us, especially in the second half when we had just changed things.

“I thought we did a lot of things very well, although our pressing wasn’t sharp enough and at times our positioning wasn’t good enough.

“We tried everything but in the end it wasn’t enough and our opponents were better in the box and deserved the win.”

Rohl paid tribute to young goalscorer Cadamarteri, who committed his long-term future to the club earlier this week.

“He now has two goals in four games and clearly is a young player with a lot of potential. He deserves his contract and it proves we are looking to the future at this club.”

Norwich warmed up for Saturday’s East Anglian derby at high-flying Ipswich by beating Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 at Carrow Road to make it four wins in their last six Championship games.

An early wonder-strike on his full debut from Borja Sainz set the Canaries on their way and they responded impressively in the second half after being pegged back by Bailey Cadamarteri’s 32nd-minute header.

Ashley Barnes restored City’s lead three minutes into the second half and Jonathan Rowe’s back-post header – his ninth goal of a productive campaign – settled the issue after 72 minutes.

The win keeps Norwich on the fringes of the play-off race, while for the relegation-threatened Owls it brought an end to an encouraging run of seven points from a possible nine.

Norwich made a dream start, with Sainz firing them in front with a glorious goal after just seven minutes.

The Spanish winger left a couple of Wednesday defenders in his wake after cutting in from the left before letting fly with a rising drive from the edge of the box that flew past goalkeeper Cameron Dawson and into the roof of the net.

That magic moment set the scene for an entertaining first half, with both sides having plenty of chances.

It needed a superb save from Angus Gunn to keep out Michael Ihiekwe’s close-range header, while at the other end Barnes struck the woodwork with a powerful shot when he had the goal at his mercy.

That miss was to prove costly, with the visitors getting back on level terms three minutes later from a Will Vaulks long throw.

His delivery was nodded on by Ihiekwe and Cadamarteri was on hand at the back post to head home his second senior goal for the Owls.

Barnes missed another good opportunity before the break, lofting the ball over with just Dawson to beat, while the Wednesday stopper needed to be alert to collect a downward header from Adam Idah deep into stoppage time.

Norwich were quick out of the blocks in the second half as well, regaining the lead in the 48th minute as Barnes finally found the target.

An incisive pass from Gabriel Sara found Sainz in space on the left and this time the Spaniard sent in a perfect low cross for the former Burnley striker to slide home from close range.

Callum Patterson fired into the side-netting as the visitors sought an immediate response, but Norwich were largely untroubled and made it 3-1 with 18 minutes remaining.

A left-wing cross to the back post from Dimi Giannoulis was completely misjudged by the visitors’ defence, allowing an unmarked Rowe the straightforward task of nodding home from a few yards.

Norwich head coach David Wagner said his side needed to find a more ruthless edge after being held to a frustrating goalless draw by Preston at Carrow Road.

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.”

Norwich were frustrated by a determined rearguard action from Preston as a hard-fought Championship encounter at Carrow Road ended goalless.

The visitors, who were on a run of three successive defeats, showed plenty of spirit against a Norwich side who had won three of their previous four games and just about deserved their share of the spoils.

For all their possession Norwich only threatened sporadically, with their best chance arriving in the closing stages when substitute Liam Gibbs missed the target with a clear sight of goal.

Preston hit the crossbar through Ben Whiteman but it was their defensive work that caught the eye on a miserable afternoon.

Norwich dominated a low-key first half in which Preston failed to register a single effort, on or off target.

The visitors were on their game defensively, however, and a low skidder from Marcelino Nunez which fizzed just wide was the only moment of excitement in the opener quarter.

The Canaries went even closer after 27 minutes when Onel Hernandez broke free on the left before bringing a comfortable save out of Freddie Woodman, with Jack Whatmough on hand to clear up the loose ends.

There was another scare for Preston on the half-hour mark, with Christian Fassnacht popping up at the back post and getting in a shot on goal after his initial header had been blocked but Liam Lindsay got in a vital block to keep the scoreline blank.

It was a similarly one-sided story after the interval, with dominant Norwich still struggling to create clear-cut openings.

Preston almost made them pay on 55 minutes when Brad Potts’ glancing header from Alan Browne’s free-kick was only just wide.

Norwich substitute Jon Rowe threatened at the other end with a volley which was well blocked but it was Preston who nearly opened the scoring just past the hour mark, Whiteman’s first-time drive coming back off the crossbar after Angus Gunn had flapped at a high ball.

With the game approaching its final 10 minutes, Norwich wasted a glorious chance to edge ahead when Gabriel Sara picked out an unmarked Gibbs in the box, only for the substitute to guide the ball wastefully wide.

In a grandstand finish, Shane Duffy’s powerful header from a corner was blocked on the line by a defender and Whatmough almost forced the ball home at the other end but it ended goalless.