Town’s long, long wait for East Anglian derby success continues following a 1-0 defeat to Norwich City at Carrow Road. The Blues, who went into the weekend top of the Championship but following the afternoon fixtures are down to second, were never at their best with Marcelino Nunez’s 39th-minute free-kick giving the Canaries the lead and Town huffing and puffing unconvincingly as they looked for a leveller in the second half.
Kieffer Moore started for the Blues as boss Kieran McKenna named an unchanged team from the 3-2 home victory over Southampton on Monday, aside from Nathan Broadhead replacing Kayden Jackson. Striker Moore had been a doubt with a back problem suffered in that game.
Norwich made one change from the team which lost 3-1 at Leicester on Monday with Shane Duffy replacing Jacob Sørensen at the centre of the defence having done the same from the bench against the Foxes. Former Town midfielder Liam Gibbs was on the bench.
In blazing sunshine but with the wind gusting, the Canaries won an early corner, Town keeper Vaclav Hladky punching to the edge of his area from where Borja Sainz shot deep into the stand behind the goal.
But Town quickly began to take charge, an Omari Hutchinson cross from the right in the third minute appearing to hit a Norwich arm but with referee Matthew Donohue showing no interest.
The Blues, with former midfielder Kieron Dyer and boxer Fabio Wardley in the away end, won another corner within a minute when another Hutchinson cross was cut out. The corner was played short to Sam Morsy but referee Donohue whistled for a foul before the skipper’s deep cross reached Broadhead beyond the far post.
On eight, Norwich right-back Jack Stacey’s shanked cross momentarily looked like it might catch Hladky out but the keeper got back to claim.
Two minutes later, with the home side now seeing most of the ball, Stacey sent a low ball across the face and wide having exchanged passes with Josh Sargent after winning a challenge with Leif Davis deep in his own team’s half.
Town began to see more of the ball again, while also stopping Norwich passing out from the back with determined pressing, but without managing to create a chance, with too many passes in the final third not finding their man.
The Blues had their first effort at goal in the 22nd minute, Cameron Burgess heading well over at the near post from Davis’s left-sided corner, the full-back having won the kick himself having been found behind Stacey, playing a similar role for the Canaries down that flank.
Both teams continued to have spells on the ball but without any causing any penalty box danger. On 29, Gabriel Sara smashed a free-kick from 30 yards high and wide.
There was a scare for the Blues just after the half-hour when Sargent was sent breaking away into the Town half. Axel Tuanzebe got across to take the ball away from the US international just outside the area, however, referee Donohue gave a free-kick.
The Blues players surrounded the referee as the home fans and team bayed for a red card. However, after a long wait, and perhaps advice from his assistant who was in a better position to see the incident, Donohue showed a yellow rather than a red card.
It was certainly an incident which might have seen a dismissal, however, video evidence showed not only that Tuanzebe had got the ball but that Sargent had been offside. Nunez hit the free-kick into the Town wall and the ball deflected wide for a corner.
Norwich were on top, winning another free-kick - for a foul by Burgess on Sargent - then another corner with the Blues unable to take the game out of their final third.
And in the 38th minute they went in front. Morsy fouled Sargent around 30 yards out and Nunez struck a shot which wobbled away from Hladky, who could only palm onto the inside of the post. The ball bounced back across goal and over the line to the delight of the home support.
Town looked to hit back straight away, Burgess flicking a back header through to home keeper Angus Gunn, then on 42 a Moore shot deflected out for a corner.
The Blues had a claim for a penalty in two additional minutes when Hutchinson went down under the attention of Sainz but appeared to trip over the ball.
Moments later, a pass towards the Chelsea loanee was overhit, which summed up much of Town’s first-half display in the final third.
Having started brightly, albeit without threatening, the Blues had allowed the Canaries a spell on top in which they won a number of set pieces around the area, and it was from the last of those which the Norfolk side took the lead.
Town had one or two spells during the half but without seriously testing Gunn with too many passes going astray in the final third.
The Blues made a nervous start to the second half, giving the ball away in their own half on a couple of occasions but with Norwich unable to make anything of the situations.
But Town gradually began to dominate the ball with the Canaries seemingly happy to sit in their half and frustrate, while trying to catch the Blues on the break.
On 58, with Town having made little impact in the final third, a long ball down the Norwich left struck Sainz, who managed to recover and loop a ball over the advanced Hladky but well wide of the post. Still, it was a warning to the Blues.
Two minutes later, Morsy felled Sargent as the striker broke towards the box but referee Donohue saw no foul. The ball eventually reached Stacey, whose low shot was saved by Hladky down to his right. Morsy’s challenge definitely looked a foul, however, it would have been outside the area and in any case Burgess was behind him so it would probably have been a yellow rather than a red card.
The Blues, who had shown little threat since the break made a double change, Broadhead and Tuanzebe making way for Jeremy Sarmiento and Harry Clarke.
Sarmiento, Monday’s late-winning goalscoring hero, quickly got into the game, sending over a left-wing cross which Moore looped to Gunn, the Blues’ first shot on target.
Town continued to dominate with Norwich sitting in their own half. On 67, Hutchinson cut in from the left and struck a low shot which was little trouble for Gunn.
Almost immediately Norwich threatened at the other end, but Burgess slid in ahead of Sargent as he broke into the box and Hladky claimed the loose ball.
On 70, Morsy was robbed midway inside the Town half and Sargent was able to bring the ball to the edge of the area before hitting a low shot which Hladky stopped and Luke Woolfenden cleared.
Norwich were looking more liked to score a second on the break than Town were an equaliser despite their possession and in the 71st minute Sargent again escaped on the left before rolling back into the path of Sainz, who shot well over.
Two minutes later, Davis played a low corner to Conor Chaplin from the left, a familiar set piece for Town fans, but for once the forward hit it against his standing leg.
That was Chaplin’s last involvement in the game, the 13-goal top scorer making way along with Moore and Luongo for Marcus Harness, Ali Al-Hamadi and Jack Taylor. Norwich switched Ashley Barnes for Town academy product Gibbs.
As the game moved into its final 10 minutes, Hutchinson and Sarmiento combined on the right and the Ecuadorian international struck a shot on the turn but well over.
On 85, the ball was looped into the right of the box for Al-Hamadi and the former AFC Wimbledon man tried to loop it over Gunn but it struck the keeper and then the Iraqi international, who tried to knock it back to Hutchinson but with too many yellow shirts ahead of him.
Three minutes later, a well-worked move ended with Sarmiento crossing from the right towards Harness, hut the ball got caught under the former Portsmouth man’s feet and he was unable to get in a shot.
Town continued to look for an equaliser in five minutes of injury time, Hutchinson seeing a shot from the right of the box blocked.
Deep in injury time, Al-Hamadi chased a ball down the middle and claimed he had been man-handled as he burst into the area but again referee Donohue wasn’t interested.
Town continued to huff and puff but were unable to conjure another serious chance before the referee’s whistle confirmed that the 15-year wait for a derby win will be extended.
Once again the Blues, so good all season, fell short against their greatest rivals, who on the balance of the game deserved the three points. While Town have been the superior side all campaign, they were a pale shadow of themselves for most of the afternoon, putting in perhaps their worst 90 minutes of the season.
Having made a relatively positive start, Town allowed the Canaries, who have now won eight in a row at home, to get on top and win a succession of set pieces from which they scored their goal.
In the second half, the Blues saw most of the ball with Norwich happy to sit back on their lead but with little success, creating very little in the way of clear-cut chances and Norwich keeper Gunn wasn’t forced to make a serious save all afternoon, while the Canaries always looked a threat on the break.
Town’s substitutes, particularly Sarmiento, had some impact but not the game-changing influence on a match they have had on so many occasions this season.
Passes which would normally be completed went astray all afternoon, while the Blues were second to the ball all too often, perhaps showing the effects of Monday’s heroics against the Saints or maybe the illness which has hit the camp over the last couple of weeks.
The Blues are down to second in the table with Leicester back to the top having beaten Birmingham 2-1 at the King Power Stadium and Leeds having lost 2-1 at Coventry City.
Town are next in action at home to Watford on Wednesday with Middlesbrough at Portman Road on Saturday.
Norwich City: Gunn, Stacey. Gibson, Duffy, McCallum, McLean (c), Nunez, Sainz, Sara, Sargent, Barnes (Gibbs 75). Unused: Long, van Hooijdonk, Fassnacht, Batth, Fisher, Welch, Aboh, Montoia.
Town: Hladky, Tuanzebe (Clarke 61), Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis, Morsy (c), Luongo (Taylor 75), Hutchinson, Chaplin (Harness 74), Broadhead (Sarmiento 61), Moore (Al-Hamadi 75). Unused: Walton, Ball, Travis, Jackson. Referee: Matthew Donohue (Manchester). Att: 27,001 (2,001).