Neil Adams
The best way to sum up the game at Huddersfield would be to say it wasn't too dissimilar to when the two sides met at Carrow Road just before Christmas.
With Darel Russell being available for selection again tomorrow after completing a ridiculously harsh three-match ban, it means that Paul Lambert has the kind of problem that all managers would give their right arm for.
You often hear the throwaway line 'one-way traffic' being used somewhat erroneously to describe events after a team has just produced a pleasing performance to achieve a successful result.
As the games are ticked off one by one, everyone is doing their own calculations as to what points tally the Canaries might need to reach in order for them to make a swift return to the Championship at the first time of asking.
There would have been a few of questions on the lips of the City fans before the Canaries ran out at Boundary Park on Saturday. Firstly, given Oli Johnson's two-goal supersub antics against Southend four days earlier and the impressive form of Anthony McNamee that night, which eleven names would feature on Paul Lambert's teamsheet and what formation would he play them in?
For a brief moment after supersub Oli Johnson headed City's late winner last night you could have been forgiven for thinking that the Canaries had just won the Champions League.
With the Canaries only having pulled through by the skin of their teeth against Southend on Tuesday night - on the back of a handful of performances that undoubtedly haven't come close to matching the impressively high standards that City have set themselves this season - many people have assumed that this recent dip in Norwich's form is because they have now been “sussed out”.
Looking back on City's 2-0 defeat on Saturday I don't think that anyone would deny that Southampton were the best side on the day and deserved to win the game.
No doubt one of the biggest talking points amongst City fans last weekend would have been the decision by Paul Lambert to change the Canaries' formation against Brighton in the hope that it would provide the team with a greater attacking threat and force them back into the game.
With just over 10 minutes to go at the Withdean Stadium, it looked as though the Canaries could be heading for a second successive defeat. City hadn't really come close to hitting top gear in the game.
Thirty games into the season and City sit in pole position. A far cry indeed from the situation that hit 25,000 Norwich fans between the eyes with the force of a swinging sledgehammer some 29 games ago, when we all suffered the sight of the Canaries being humiliated at the hands of Paul Lambert's rampant Colchester side on the opening day of the season.
I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. A run of 16 games unbeaten and eight wins on the trot is the kind of form that even the best teams in the world would find hard to sustain.
The Canaries have stormed to the top of the table with such distinction this season that we must all remind ourselves to guard against our levels of expectation undermining the team's achievements.
The Canaries' encounter with Hartlepool was arguably as keenly fought as any they have faced this season, and it's fair to say they were made to sweat it out at times.
Last week's excellent victory over Brentford threw up a few talking points. Firstly, the positive and confident decision by City boss Paul Lambert to play three at the back after Grant Holt's dismissal played a significant part in enabling the Canaries to ultimately grind out their 1-0 victory.
Last night called for resilience and a bit of patience and City showed both to continue their amazing unbeaten run. Norwich dominated possession and were the better team but they couldn't quite make it happen in front of goal until the final 15 minutes.
It was never going to be the easiest of tasks for the Canaries to reproduce the standards they delivered in their previous game. After all, demonstrating an ability to dominate the opposition on their own patch in the manner that City did at Colchester, and also smashing five goals past them in the process, doesn't tend to happen too often.
When you've previously suffered a severe pasting at the hands of your next opponents, it goes without saying that you hardly need any added incentive to go out and set the record straight.
Although the Canaries didn't quite hit top gear against Exeter last week, they were still full value for their victory in my opinion. True, City did take their foot off the gas and sit unnecessarily deep inside their own half for spells in the second half, but they still posed a considerable goal threat whenever they attacked and the players once again showed the priceless qualities of being able to focus on their responsibilities and maintaining their composure.
You often hear the saying that the hallmark of a good side is one that can win a game even when it hasn't played well. And no doubt some will say that was the case with the Canaries against Exeter.
A few of the teams in this division seem to be making the grave mistake of writing City boss Paul Lambert's team talks for him this season. First we had Swindon's Danny Wilson making a snidey pop at the Canaries' capabilities and general prospects this term.
Whoever first coined the phrase 'throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the opposition' must have been watching a game very similar to City's clash with Wycombe.
It was the proverbial game of two halves on Saturday. In the first half, City looked a little off the pace, were a touch jaded and struggled to get a foothold in the game.
How cruel football can be, eh? If you were to say that the Canaries were robbed of a place in the area final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy last you wouldn't be too far away from the truth.
It's never as easy down there on the pitch as it can sometimes appear from the stands, but last Saturday's victory over struggling Oldham was more or less about as comfortable as it gets.
Winning football matches in style is what we have almost come to expect from Norwich City these days. And once again the team duly delivered the goods on Saturday.