Norwich midfielder Bradley Johnson’s 24th minute strike has given the home side a 1-0 lead over the Blues at Carrow Road at half-time.
Town boss Mick McCarthy handed Richard Chaplow his full Blues debut at the most advanced point of a midfield diamond ahead of Cole Skuse with Kevin Bru on the right and Jay Tabb on the left.
Paul Anderson and Jonny Parr dropped to the bench, while Teddy Bishop missed out with the ankle injury he suffered in training.
David McGoldrick (thigh), Darren Ambrose, Stephen Hunt (both hamstring), Noel Hunt and Luke Hyam (knee) had all previously been ruled out. Former Northgate High School pupil Hyam watched the game fro the away end.
Chris Wood, who signed on loan from Leicester on Friday, was on the bench alongside 17-year-old first-year scholar Kundai Benyu, who was in the matchday 18 for the first time.
The game started in a swirling wind with the home side threatening first in the third minute when Lewis Grabban was found on the right of the area, but Tyrone Mings got across to muscle him off the ball.
Norwich felt they ought to have been awarded a penalty in the seventh minute when Grabban was tackled by Tommy Smith. Referee Paul Tierney awarded a corner but replays suggested the Canaries might have had a case. From the second of two flag-kicks the ball was cleared to Jonny Howson, who volleyed well wide.
There was a scare for the Blues on 13 when Chaplow allowed Howson to send over a cross from the left after a corner from the right had been sent too deep. Norwich Johnson flicked a header which Berra blocked, then Murphy cleared the loose ball.
Skuse picked up the game’s first booking in the 16th minute for catching Johnson with a high boot as the home side broke on halfway.
The majority of the first 20 minutes had been played in the Norwich half but without the Blues having been able to create a chance. When in decent areas all too often a pass had been lacking at the crucial moment.
Much the same was the case in the 23rd minute when Chaplow won the ball on the right and broke into the area but failed to find Murphy with his cross.
A minute later the home side went in front. Wes Hoolahan fed Grabban on the right and the striker’s low cross caught Smith’s heel and found Johnson rushing into the area on the left, from where he smashed a shot into the net off the underside of the bar.
The Blues looked to hit straight back but Murphy failed to get anything on a shot from the edge of the box and Norwich keeper Ruddy claimed comfortably.
Town weren’t far away from an equaliser in the 31st minute when Bru won the ball midway inside the Blues’ half and sent Murphy away down the left. The Irishman crossed low to Sears, who touched the ball past his defender before shooting. However, the touch had allowed Ruddy time to come off his line and the keeper blocked.
Sears hit a 20-yard strike from the left which Ruddy saved to his left on 35, then three minutes later Hoolahan hit a looping effort from further out which Bartosz Bialkowski claimed.
Neither side threatened again before referee Tierney’s whistle signalled the half-time break.
Having gone in front the home side had largely been on top without particularly threatening to add to their lead. The well-worked goal was the one time they had cut through the Blues during the first half.
But Town were far form out of it, having continued to battle away in their usual manner and they might well have been on terms but for Ruddy’s impressive save from Sears.
Aside from that and Sears’s effort from distance soon after, Town hadn’t managed to test the home keeper on too many more occasions in a derby of few chances at either end.
Norwich: Ruddy, Whittaker, Martin (c), Bassong, Olsson, Tettey, Johnson, Redmond, Howson, Hoolahan, Grabban. Subs: Rudd, Turner, Jerome, Hooper, Andreu, Garrido, Dorrans.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Bru, Chaplow, Bru, Murphy, Sears. Subs: Gerken, Parr, Clarke, Anderson, Benyu, Varney, Wood. Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire).