Norwich City vs Aston Villa. Sky Bet Championship.
Carrow RoadAttendance26,044.
Tuesday 13 December 2016 23:18, UK
Nelson Oliveira's second-half strike handed Norwich a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Carrow Road on Tuesday night.
The Portuguese striker's curled effort from 20 yards out left Villa goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini rooted to the spot and earned Norwich their second win of December - in what was the fifth '10 in 10' match on Sky Sports.
Norwich were good value for their win after enjoying the majority of possession, while Villa's one shot on target came in second-half stoppage time.
The win moves Norwich up to eighth in the Sky Bet Championship, while defeat leaves Villa in the bottom half in 13th.
The Canaries headed into the match having lost six of their last seven league matches, while Villa in contrast had been defeated just once in nine games.
However, in a first half of little chances, it was Norwich who looked the stronger of the two sides, and their first opportunity fell to Graham Dorrans, who saw his effort from the edge of the area deflected over the bar.
Midway through the half, a double save from Gollini kept Norwich at bay, with the Villa keeper initially parrying a 30-yard strike from Martin Olsson.
The ball fell into the path of striker Oliveira, but Gollini recovered in time to make himself big and block the second attempt.
Norwich's greatest chance at an opener fell on the hour mark, but Alan Hutton did brilliantly to get a touch on Robbie Brady's strike and send the effort wide after Jonny Howson played him in.
The miss did not matter for the hosts, as two minutes later Oliveira picked the ball up 20 yards out before bending a low effort into the far corner, with Villa 'keeper Gollini not moving.
After taking the lead, it was Norwich who looked more likely to double their advantage, with Oliveira failing to find the target after shooting on the turn.
Jacob Murphy then went close with a drilled effort from the edge of the box, as Villa soon turned to pumping it forward with Rudy Gestede coming off the bench.
And Villa did have a penalty shout in the final play of the match, but the referee waved away Villa's claims after Ross McCormack went down under minimal pressure.
With McCormack on the ground and Villa players appealing, the attention moved away from Jonathan Kodjia's blocked effort, which proved to be their first shot on target with the final kick of the game.
