Norwich City strike twice before half-time to see off Birmingham | OneFootball

Match in Five Sentences: Norwich City beat Birmingham City 2-1 at Carrow Road. In the 28th minute Oscar Schwartau drilled in from outside the box after a neat lay-off. The Canaries doubled their lead through Papa Diallo (39.), before Carlos Vicente halved the deficit after the restart (64.). The Canaries carried the greater punch, registering six shots on target to Birmingham's three. Norwich rise from 16th to ninth and visit Middlesbrough next, while Birmingham drop from 14th to 15th and travel to Derby.

Player of the Match: Papa Diallo added the first half cushion with a tidy finish and backed it up with three successful dribbles and five ball recoveries to keep Birmingham penned back.

Stat of the Match: The Canaries registered six shots on target to Birmingham's three, underlining a sharper edge in both boxes.

Three Things We Learned: Mathias Kvistgaarden's assist for the opener showed his link-play value in the front line. Pelle Mattsson fired four attempts with two on target and twice forced James Beadle into saves. The Canaries won 64.4% of aerial duels, reflecting control of the defensive third.