Bristol City 0-1 Norwich City
- Published
James Maddison has scored eight goals in 29 games this season
James Maddison scored the only goal as Norwich beat promotion-chasing Bristol City at Ashton Gate.
The Robins saw far more of the ball throughout the game but struggled to break down the visitors' defence.
Josh Murphy had a shot cleared off the line as Norwich threatened on the break, while Josh Brownhill hit the post for the hosts in the second half.
But soon after, Maddison scored the decisive goal against the run of play, firing in from Mario Vrancic's pass.
Maddison's late effort extended Bristol City's miserable run against their opponents, having now failed to win in the past six meetings between the two sides.
And Lee Johnson's side, beaten narrowly by Premier League leaders Manchester City in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday, are now winless in five games in all competitions.
However, they remain only five points outside the automatic promotion places and four points clear of seventh-placed Leeds.
Norwich are 13th in the table, but they are unbeaten in five games, a run which included a goalless draw with Chelsea in the FA Cup third round.
The Canaries are now six points adrift of the play-off places and a comfortable 13 points above the bottom three.
Bristol City head coach Lee Johnson said:
"The ball is not quite breaking for us in the opposition box at the moment and that was an unbelievable save.
"I always feared this period of games and perhaps we are victims of our cup success. The Manchester City game in midweek took a huge amount of energy out of the players.
"We did OK today, but perhaps lacked a physical presence up front. Unfortunately, due to injury, that is not an option I have at the moment."
Norwich head coach Daniel Farke said:
"We had a really thin squad today, but we had a special plan for this game and I have to congratulate my players because it worked perfectly.
"It was a tough week for us, with two players leaving and some injuries.
"This ranks up there with the best results we have had while I have been in charge."