Norwich 1-0 Swansea: Jonny Howson boosts Canaries

Jonny Howson scored the only goal of the game as Norwich ended a six-match winless run by beating Swansea 1-0 at Carrow Road on Saturday.

The midfielder headed in from close-range in the 70th minute to settle a Premier League game of few chances, nodding in substitute Dieumerci Mbokani's headed pass back across goal from Robbie Brady's corner.

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Norwich were worthy winners despite Swansea having 67 per cent of the possession over the course of the 90 minutes; for all of their intelligent passing, the away side carried very little attacking threat.

Mbokani's introduction changed the game and it was his powerful presence which provided the platform for Howson to score the game's only goal.

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Prior to that, the contest had followed a relentless pattern of Swansea possession and brief Norwich counter-attacks.

Playing that way did not seem to suit the home side but they had the best goalscoring opportunity of the first half nine minutes into the game when Cameron Jerome, who would later make way for Mbokani, headed a Brady free-kick wide of the target.

The second half was a much more open affair and almost immediately after the restart, Howson provided a cross for Brady to force a good save from Lukasz Fabianski.

Swansea's patient approach appeared as though it would pay off on 66 minutes when a low Wayne Routledge cross was diverted onto the top of the bar by Gylfi Sigurdsson.

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Ki Sung Yeung sidefooted an effort narrowly wide a moment later and they were to prove costly misses as Norwich took the lead soon afterwards, and never looked back.

Wayne Routledge saw an effort drift wide of the far post but the concession of Howson's goal had a dispiriting effect on Swansea and although they gave it the kitchen-sink treatment for the game's closing stages, with goalkeeper Fabianski attacking a late corner, they went on to record a fifth defeat in eight games.

Player ratings

Norwich: Ruddy (6), Wisdom (6), Bennett (7), Bassong (7), Olsson (6), Howson (7), Tettey (6), O'Neil (6), Brady (7), Hoolahan (6), Jerome (6).

Subs used: Mbokani (7), Mulumbu (6).

Swansea: Fabianksi (7), Naughton (5), Fernandez (6), Williams (6), Taylor (5), Ki (7), Shelvey (6), Ayew (6), Sigurdsson (7), Montero (5), Gomis (5).

Subs used: Routledge (6), Eder (5), Britton (5).

Man of the match: Robbie Brady