Goalscorer Marcelino Nunez (left) joined Norwich City in the summer of 2022
Norwich City extended their unbeaten run at Carrow Road to 20 league games with an impressive victory over Hull City.
Marcelino Nunez and Josh Sargent scored within four minutes of each other to give them the upper hand, both assists provided by in-form Borja Sainz.
The Canaries wasted a chance to extend their lead when Sargent hit the post with a penalty after Lewie Coyle handled but a scrappy third by Kaide Gordon settled the outcome after Mohamed Belloumi had struck the crossbar at the other end.
Hull's Joao Pedro had a goal disallowed for handball before Callum Doyle picked out Sainz with a crossfield pass and he calmly lobbed the keeper for his eighth goal of the season.
Norwich included Friday's free-agent signing Emiliano Marcondes in their matchday squad but named an unchanged starting XI, while Hull boss Tim Walter drafted Oscar Zambrano and Marvin Mehlem into midfield.
The teams, match officials and supporters observed a minute's non-silence before kick-off to mark next week's World Mental Health Day - and there has been plenty to shout about of late with Hull winning their previous three games and Norwich taking seven points out of nine.
The Canaries should have taken the lead when Zambrano was caught in possession and Sargent played in Sainz, whose dinked one-on-one finish was pushed wide by Ivor Pandur.
The Croat was soon in action again to deny Nunez after a long ball caught the Tigers defence napping, but two minutes later he could do nothing when the midfielder was given too much time after receiving Sainz's pass on the edge of the box and fired home a 20-yard shot.
Hull soon found themselves two down when a slick switch-play from right to left gave Sainz time to pick out the onrushing Sargent and the American side-footed home from close range.
The deficit should have been halved when Belloumi found himself in space, but tried to check on to his left foot and his eventual shot lacked the power to perturb Gunn.
It could have been three when Sargent cut the ball back to Anis Ben Slimane, whose first-time shot was just the wrong side of the post, before Chris Bedia wasted another Hull opportunity, glancing a header wide when a firmer contact would surely have found the net.
Norwich - who have not lost at home in the Championship since Blackburn beat them in November 2023 - had to replace goalkeeper Angus Gunn with George Long at the interval because of a rib injury and he was almost caught out by an inswinging Belloumi corner, which he pushed away at full stretch.
Having wasted his penalty opportunity, Sargent was then crowded out when he looked set to score, but Hull failed to clear their lines, allowing Gordon – on loan from Liverpool - to steal the ball and steer it into the corner for his first league goal on his 20th birthday.
Pedro was furious when the referee ruled out his consolation, claiming the ball struck his chest as he dived to meet Abu Kamara's cross, and after Sainz showed a cool head to claim his deserved goal, Pandur had to save with his feet to prevent Kellen Fisher from making it five.
The win moved Norwich up four places to sixth, pending the outcome of later games, with Hull dropping to 11th.
Norwich boss Johannes Hoff Thorup told BBC Radio Norfolk:
"The start of the game against Watford was brilliant and it was the same again today.
"We created two big chances before scoring the first goal and then kept on going - I loved the second goal, that was just beautiful.
"Our top moments have shown, especially at home, that we have the quality to outplay some teams, but there is room for improvement.
"We just have to make sure in the future that we can play even more minutes with that intensity and that energy - you can see moments when we defended a little bit too low and had difficulty playing (the ball) out a couple of times."
Hull head coach Tim Walter:
"They were a lot more clinical than us and took advantage of our mistakes while we didn’t take advantage of theirs.
“We lost the ball too often and didn’t win enough of the duels and were punished for it. The lads kept going and showed a good attitude but it is a defeat that we must accept.
“We must keep our heads up and remember that we had won our three previous games and were really good in them.
"Today we lost 4-0 and that is how it is in football sometimes."
