By Stephan Shemilt
Managerless Manchester City’s turbulent week ended with defeat by Norwich in an enthralling final-day encounter.
Poor home defending allowed Anthony Pilkington through to give Norwich the lead, only for Jack Rodwell to finish a neat Blues move for the equaliser.
Grant Holt’s back-post shot restored the Canaries’ lead before Rodwell raced clear to level again.
But Jonny Howson’s goal after running from halfway gave Norwich only their second away league win of the season.
In beating four men and sliding past Hart from an angle, Howson also gave Norwich their first top-flight win at Manchester City.
It was only the Blues’ second home defeat in 48 Premier League games on their first appearance at the Etihad Stadium since losing the FA Cup final and sacking manager Roberto Mancini.
With a subdued crowd showing banners and chanting support for Mancini throughout, the home side, with Brian Kidd in caretaker charge, were largely culpable as they went down to a Norwich side who had only secured their Premier League safety with last week’s 4-0 win over West Brom.
The hosts have the tightest defence in the top flight but were caught out twice for Norwich’s opening two goals, and then allowed Howson to progress virtually unchallenged for the winner.
But that is not to detract from the performance of Chris Hughton’s men, who were inspired by the endeavour of Wes Hoolahan and Robert Snodgrass to climb to 11th in the table, their highest top-flight finish since 1993.
Only QPR and Stoke had scored fewer Premier League goals than Norwich before Sunday, but for their season’s finale the Canaries provided a constant attacking threat.
Ryan Bennett had already had a header cleared off the line when the visitors took a deserved lead. With Yaya Toure ponderous in defence, Hoolahan’s persistence eventually released Pilkington, who coolly slotted past Hart.
The hosts had been subdued until that point, but were sufficiently jolted that Norwich’s lead lasted only three minutes.
Samir Nasri fed the ball into Edin Dzeko, whose one touch was enough to free Rodwell for his first goal since moving to the Etihad from Everton last summer.
But the equaliser only served to galvanise Norwich in turn, who went close through Snodgrass, Russell Martin and Bradley Johnson either side of the break.
The visitors deservedly regained the lead, but not without the help of more slack home defending.
Howson’s sweet cross-field ball found an unmarked Snodgrass on the right of the Blues’ box, and when he slid it across goal Holt went unchallenged to apply a simple finish.
Again, however, Norwich’s lead did not last long. With Manchester City struggling to clear, Toure arrived to collect the ball, carry it forward and find the run of Rodwell down the Norwich left.
Rodwell’s pace was too much for Steven Whittaker and he was able to find the net with a shot across John Ruddy.
Still Norwich, and Howson in particular, refused to roll over. From inside his own half, he progressed all the way into the Manchester City box and gave Norwich the lead for a third time with a clinical finish.
The final 20 minutes featured plenty of frantic Norwich defending, but the Canaries held out to send Manchester City to their post-season tour of the United States – and the potential appointment of Manuel Pellegrini as Mancini’s successor – on the back of a defeat.
Manchester City caretaker manager Brian Kidd:
“It’s been an emotional week with the events at the club. I understand the cheers for the boss – he would have been disappointed if there wasn’t for what he did here.
“I’ve been blessed and been grateful for what football has given me. I was asked to take charge for two games and America, which has been tough with the boss going. The club make the decisions and you abide by it. I’m a big boy.
“We have fallen short of the standards we set last season, but it hasn’t been for a lack of effort. You defend as a team and attack as a team, so you have to look collectively, but we haven’t reached that consistency.”
Norwich City manager Chris Hughton:
“The manner in which we achieved this win is most pleasing. You know [Man City] are going to have the bulk of possession but we did really well with the ball.
“We were always a threat and I don’t think anyone who saw that would say we weren’t worthy of what we got today.
“We want to develop and we have a very good side that has served us well this season. We won’t forget that, but if we are able to strengthen then we will. Anyone we bring in has to be the right player, but it is our responsibility to the fans to try to keep improving.”
