Leeds vs Norwich match report: Mixed night for Jonny Howson as Canaries keep up

Leeds United 0 Norwich City 2

(PA)

Alex Neil’s impressive Norwich City side enhanced their Championship promotion claims with a performance every bit as bold as his decision to accept the challenge in the first place.

When Neil took on the task he inevitably faced question marks about his age and apparent lack of experience. Both of those concerns appear to have been answered, in addition to his suitability for the pressures of job in contrast to Hamilton’s relative ambitions north of the border.

There is now an added steel to the Canaries which was embodied in this gritty victory. Leeds showed the greater urgency to begin with but on the half-hour mark the visitors were presented with an opportunity to take the lead when Liam Cooper grappled with Jonny Howson in the area after the Norwich man had controlled a difficult ball, and referee Michael Jones awarded a penalty.

Graham Dorrans struck the spot-kick with plenty of venom but his aim was awry and the ball rebounded back out off the crossbar.

Moments later the midfielder, on loan from West Bromwich Albion, got on the end of a dangerous cross from Cameron Jerome but shot high into the stands.

Quality play was generally lacking as tackles flew in and shirts were pulled. Bad blood between the sides stretched back to an altercation in the 1-1 draw at Carrow Road in October in which Giuseppe Bellusci was accused – and cleared – of making a racist comment towards Jerome.

Norwich regained some of the fluency which had seen them win 11 of their previous 14 league games and twice went close after the break. Skipper Russell Martin had an opportunity from a tight angle and saw his shot well saved by Marco Silvestri, while a fiercely struck effort from the impressive Alex Tettey flew just over the crossbar.

The breakthrough arrived not long after and predictably Howson, who had been Leeds’ youngest captain since Billy Bremner, provided a moment of Premier League quality.

Howson, who played 186 league games for Leeds, received the ball from Nathan Redmond on the edge of the box and with his instep arrowed it into the corner of the net. He held his hands up sheepishly in apology.

Leeds rallied and went close when Scott Wootton cut in from the right flank but Martin produced a last-ditch block to deny him. With seven minutes left John Ruddy had to make a superb one-handed save to tip a Alex Mowatt piledriver just past the post.

However, Dorrans made amends for his earlier misses when he struck a low shot into the corner of the net in injury time. And there was nothing muted about his celebration as he dived in among the visiting fans. “We are going up,” they sang. Based on this display it’s hard to argue otherwise.

Leeds United (4-5-1): Silvestri; Wootton, Bamba, Cooper, Berardi; C Taylor (Antenucci, 71), Murphy, Ngoyi, Mowatt, Byram (Montenegro, 85); Sharp. Substitutes not used: Bellusci, S Taylor, Morison, Sloth, Philips.

Norwich City (4-3-3): Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Olsson; Tettey, Dorrans, Howson; Redmond (Hooper, 86), Hoolahan (E Bennett, 80), Jerome. Substitutes not used: Grabban, R Bennett, Rudd, O’Neil, Odjidja-Ofoe.

Referee: M Jones (Cheshire).