Derby County have brought a frustrating end to Norwich City’s eight-match unbeaten league record to leapfrog the Canaries in the Championship table.
Derby had taken the lead through a fine finish from David Nugent in first half injury-time and rallied to cancel out Timm Klose’s equalising header, with substitute Sam Winnall scoring in the 83rd minute.
It brought a first league defeat for Daniel Farke’s team since the 4-0 defeat at Millwall at the end of August, following on from Tuesday’s dramatic 2-1 loss to Arsenal in extra-time in the Carabao Cup.
Three changes were made from that starting team, Marco Stiepermann, Wes Hoolahan and Cameron Jerome coming in for James Husband, Mario Vrancic and Nelson Oliveira.
The Canaries went into the break aggrieved to be 1-0 behind, with referee Peter Bankes booed and being questioned by City players as he walked down the tunnel.
Christoph Zimmermann had forced Derby keeper Scott Carson to save on his line after a corner dropped to him in just the fourth minute.
Marco Stiepermann also lashed a shot against the bar after getting forward on the left in the 16th minute, with the Rams relieved to see the ball bounce on the line and away.
With former Canaries favourite Bradley Johnson blasting a powerful shot wide five minutes later, the half’s big talking point saw the atmosphere at Carrow Road turn angry.
Joe Ledley’s wayward pass freed Josh Murphy on the left and Carson tried to let the ball run out of play, only for the City winger to nip in and turn towards goal, grappling with the keeper, who slid in and tackled the ball out of play. The Barclay were furious that a penalty wasn’t given but the referee was satisfied the former England man had got enough of the ball.
The match was turned on its head in the only minute of injury-time though, Zimmermann launching into a challenge to try and cut out Richard Keogh’s through-ball only to miss and for Nugent to fire a fine shot into the top-right corner from 22 yards.
It almost got worse 10 minutes into the second half but Angus Gunn superbly tipped over a Tom Huddlestone thunderbolt from 25 yards after Stiepermann headed away a Johnson free-kick from the right.
The hosts couldn’t have come any closer to equalising just before the hour mark, Murphy chipping to the back post from the right and Stiepermann so close to bundling the ball home only for Carson to somehow push the ball away on the line.
Farke made a double change soon after, sacrificing a midfielder in bringing on Nelson Oliveira for Harrison Reed and replacing Murphy with Dutch powerhouse Yanic Wildschut.
The powerful wideman made a big impact initially, running at the Derby defence and helping create the equaliser in the 71st minute.
Jerome held up well in the box and allowed Stiepermann to stand up a cross from the left, finding Klose at the back post who powered home a header to spark Carrow Road back into life.
Oliveira limped off just 10 minutes after coming on, looking thoroughly fed up in the aftermath of the goal as he was replaced by Marley Watkins, and the visitors had the ball in the net again in the 74th minute – only for Johnson to be denied by an offside flag as he turned in a wayward Nugent shot from close range.
The warning was not heeded by City though and good work from substitute Chris Martin saw Gunn make a fine diving save from Johnson, only for another substitute, Sam Winnall, to turn home unmarked from close range.
The exertion of Tuesday’s extra-time defeat at Arsenal were starting to show and Gunn was lucky not to concede again in the 86th minute, playing a clearance against Winnall but racing back to get hands on the ball in his box to allow Zimmermann to clear.
James Maddison curled a free-kick too high and Jerome blasted just over from 25 yards in the closing stages but Norwich couldn’t force another equaliser, to go a fourth home game without a win, as the Rams won their third game on the spin.
The Canaries have a chance to end that run on Tuesday but it will be another tough game, against high-flying Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Norwich: Gunn; Pinto (C), Zimmermann, Klose, Stiepermann; Reed (Oliveira 62, Watkins 72), Trybull; Hoolahan, Maddison, Murphy (Wildschut 62); Jerome. Unused subs: McGovern (GK), Husband, Vrancic, Hanley
Booked: Klose, foul on Martin (60)
Goal: Klose (71)
Derby: Carson; Wisdom, Keogh (C), Davies, Forsyth; Huddlestone, Ledley; Lawrence (Thorne 90), Vydra (Martin 46), Johnson; Nugent (Winnall 76). Unused subs: Mitchell (GK), Baird, Pearce, Weimann
Goal: Nugent (45+1), Winnall (83)
Booked: Johnson, on Maddison (65), Forsyth, foul on Wildschut (69), Nugent, foul on Wildschut (74)
Referee: Peter Bankes (Liverpool)
Attendance: 26,048
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