Match ends, Norwich City 0, Manchester City 0.
NorwichNorwich City0Man CityManchester City0
Manchester City squandered a chance to return to the top of the Premier League as they were held at Norwich.
The visitors seemed short on confidence after Monday's defeat by Chelsea, and their only genuine chance came when Alvaro Negredo headed against the bar.
Norwich's Nathan Redmond fired high and wide before Jesus Navas was off target.
Manchester City had to hang on near the end as Norwich were inches from scoring and, after Chelsea beat Newcastle, they slipped to third in the table.
Despite Jose Mourinho's side replacing Arsenal as league leaders, Manuel Pellegrini's side remain two points off the summit.
But the 1-0 loss to Chelsea, which ended a 20-game unbeaten run, seemed to have a lasting effect on a team who have previously scored freely this season.
And they were fortunate they did not lose twice in a week after a late scare when Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Anthony Pilkington somehow failed to connect with Redmond's cross, before Pilkington curled another opportunity over.
Manchester City thumped Norwich 7-0 at Etihad Stadium in November, but chances were at a premium at Carrow Road with the Canaries well disciplined in defence.
The result means the visitors failed to score in consecutive Premier League games for the first time since January 2012, and the point keeps Norwich two points above the relegation zone in 16th place.
Without Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri and Fernandinho, the visitors lacked pace in attack, while their strikeforce of Stevan Jovetic and Negredo disappointed.
And they would have gone behind early on had Redmond not skewed an angled shot over with only Joe Hart to beat. Gary Hooper also had a goal disallowed after being correctly ruled offside following a corner.
Those opportunities seem to give the visitors a jolt and, after dominating possession with James Milner in the heart of midfield, they began to add incisiveness to their play.
Negredo headed against the bar following a Martin Demichelis flick-on from Navas's corner and the Spanish striker then smacked a shot just wide before Jovetic tested John Ruddy in Norwich's goal.
Good defending by Russell Martin and Martin Olsson prevented further chances, while Joseph Yobo added ballast to the defence on his Norwich debut, his first Premier League appearance since 2010.
Jovetic was replaced by Edin Dzeko, before Negredo was puzzled by his substitution as Aleksandar Kolarov came on, but they could not find a breakthrough.
Pellegrini's side continued to press for a winner and suffered a further moment of worry when a Yaya Toure kick on Van Wolfswinkel was not seen by the referee.
They will want their injured players back before they face Chelsea in the FA Cup and Barcelona in the Champions League later this month. And Wednesday's game at the Etihad against lowly Sunderland could be the perfect opportunity to find their feet again.
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Line-ups
Norwich
Formation 4-5-1
- 1Ruddy
- 2Martin
- 23Olsson
- 27TetteyBooked at 80mins
- 26Yobo
- 5Bassong Nguena
- 22Redmond
- 4Johnson
- 11HooperSubstituted forvan Wolfswinkelat 68'minutesBooked at 81mins
- 10Fer
- 12PilkingtonSubstituted forWhittakerat 90+3'minutes
Substitutes
- 3Whittaker
- 9van Wolfswinkel
- 13Bunn
- 14Hoolahan
- 18Garrido
- 19Becchio
- 31Murphy
Man City
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Hart
- 5Zabaleta
- 22Clichy
- 7MilnerBooked at 75mins
- 4Kompany
- 26Demichelis
- 15Navas
- 42Y Touré
- 9NegredoSubstituted forKolarovat 77'minutes
- 35JoveticSubstituted forDzekoat 61'minutes
- 21Silva
Substitutes
- 2Richards
- 6Lescott
- 10Dzeko
- 13Kolarov
- 17Rodwell
- 30Pantilimon
- 64Rony Lopes
- Referee:
- Jonathan Moss
- Attendance:
- 26,832
Match Stats
Home TeamNorwichAway TeamMan City
- Possession
- Home32%
- Away68%
- Shots
- Home7
- Away15
- Shots on Target
- Home2
- Away2
- Corners
- Home4
- Away14
- Fouls
- Home7
- Away6
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Norwich City 0, Manchester City 0.
Post update
Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Vincent Kompany.
Substitution
Substitution, Norwich City. Steven Whittaker replaces Anthony Pilkington.
Post update
Attempt missed. Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by David Silva.
Post update
Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Anthony Pilkington (Norwich City).
Post update
Attempt missed. Anthony Pilkington (Norwich City) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is just a bit too high. Assisted by Nathan Redmond with a cross.
Post update
Attempt missed. Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Jesús Navas following a corner.
Post update
Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Anthony Pilkington.
Post update
Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Anthony Pilkington.
Post update
Attempt missed. Jesús Navas (Manchester City) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by David Silva.
Booking
Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Norwich City) is shown the yellow card.
Post update
Attempt missed. Edin Dzeko (Manchester City) header from the left side of the six yard box misses to the left. Assisted by James Milner with a cross.
Booking
Alexander Tettey (Norwich City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Alexander Tettey (Norwich City).
Post update
Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Norwich City).
Substitution
Substitution, Manchester City. Aleksandar Kolarov replaces Álvaro Negredo.
