1. The sun always shines
Rain at the kick-off. Sunshine at the final whistle. Philippe Clement is that good he can sort the weather as well a Norwich City squad who now look unrecognisable from the rabble he inherited.
A clean sheet away win that could not have been any more comfortable against a Leicester supposedly scrapping for their lives in the relegation zone and under new boss, Gary Rowett, unbeaten after draws at Stoke and Middlesbrough.
But Norwich were almost dismissive of the challenge. Sam Field back in alongside Kenny McLean gave the visitors the platform and the structure to allow the likes of Paris Maghoma, second half substitute Anis Ben Slimane and Ali Ahmed to toy with the Foxes’ backline.
Jose Cordoba reunited with Ruairi McConville, with Ben Chrisene back and Kellen Fisher switched to the right again, provided the defensive ballast that has, in the main, underpinned a remarkable run in 2026.
An eighth league win in 11, and since beating QPR on New Year’s Day a fifth away league win in six. All set against an injury backdrop that is getting worse, not better.
No matter. Adversity to this head coach appears to be as much fuel as the cheers which again washed down from the packed away end towards a team who can now go anywhere in this league and know they are good enough to get a result.
Clement himself led the customary chants in unison with the away end at the final whistle. Sweet after so much sour.
2. Anything you can do
The City chief spoke on Friday about how he does not have the Premier League-grade luxury right now of two quality options available for every position on the pitch. But he has a pair of 10s to rival any poker hand in the Championship.
Maghoma’s first chapter at Norwich City has been that good he already has his own terrace chant, set to an old school dance classic. Quite apt given the stylish way he moves across the turf with the close control to entice opponents, before a quick change of direction and he is gone.
Ten minutes from the interval he conjured an outrageous pass into the feet of Ahmed that took peripheral vision to a whole new level, as he appeared to veer in the opposite direction across the centre of the pitch before conjuring a passing angle Pythagoras would have applauded.
Everything good in an attacking sense from City in the 60 minutes or so he was on the park had the 24-year-old’s imprint. Including the visitors’ two best chances.
An outswinging corner Mathias Kvistgaarden had to head on target, and a drifting run from his own half before Jakub Stolarczyk pushed his low shot around his right-hand post.
But with Maghoma still moving through the gears, after months out injured at Brentford with hamstring issues prior to his January move, Clement was able to introduce Slimane.
Prior to Maghoma’s recent impact, the Tunisian had responded to Clement’s clarion call with a rich seam of productivity. Now he has a genuine rival. But what a response. After Stolarczyk had superbly denied him, he shuffled his feet and bent an arcing low strike away from the keeper moments later.
If you are Clement or City’s fan base, stand back and enjoy the sparks.
3. Striker light
Hard not to feel a touch sorry for Mr Kvistgaarden. He arrived last summer with all the fanfare of a signing who was going to be a major player.
Not just the cleverness from City’s recruitment specialists to extricate him below market value, by exercising that buy-out clause, but the goalscoring record he boasted at Brondby that had put him on the radar of the Danish international set-up and many other clubs across Europe.
But the path has been far from smooth since. That knee injury on his second full start at Coventry felt prophetic for the struggles he has had to endure thereafter.
Another fitness related concern around the trip to Sheffield United in December, with what was badged by his head coach at the time as more pain in the same knee, then having to defer to the young guns in Jovon Makama and Mohamed Toure when the road block that was Josh Sargent had been removed. By Sargent himself.
There was plenty of willingness and effort at the King Power but his game is not fighting centre backs in the air. He needs penalty box service to showcase his goalscoring instincts. There was a big headed chance from Maghoma’s first half corner, but the tank had visibly emptied by the time he was benched just past the hour mark.
That would suggest even though he is the only senior striker fit for the foreseeable, Clement must deliver on his pre-match pledge not to be reliant on his front players for goals. So it proved yet again on the Belgian’s watch,. with Slimane and Ahmed adding that punch.
No Jakov Medic experiment on this occasion but a notable cameo from Errol Mundle-Smith, who deserved an assist he will not get for Ahmed’s close range finish. In Philippe, Norwich must trust.
Mathias Kvistgaarden led the Norwich City line in the injury absence of Jovin Makama and Mohamed Toure (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)
4. An ode to Ruairi
‘High ceilings’ is a phrase you hear now around City’s transfer strategy under Ben Knapper in a number of windows since he first walked through that Carrow Road door as sporting director.
A clear policy choice, reaffirmed since with that boardroom transfer of power to Mark Attanasio and Norfolk Holdings, that City must source talent that can improve their first team and under the right head coach blossom to become desirable future saleable commodities. With the attendant uplift between purchase price and sale price.
That requires astute scouting, analysis and finally persuasion to bring the right profile to Norfolk. At points in the first 12 months of his career in green and yellow plenty will have harboured doubts about the move for Ruairi McConville.
Not least this hugely impressive 20-year-old, who revealed at a recent fans’ forum he had endured some difficult periods wondering himself if he had made the right choice to leave Brighton in the Premier League for a Championship finishing school.
But McConville is now integral to Clement’s backline. So much so since sitting out the Belgian’s opener at Birmingham City in November he has started every other Championship game.
The contrast between his struggles for regular game time under Johannes Hoff Thorup and Liam Manning could not be more marked.
Now he looks at home at this level and growing in influence and authority to the extent he captained the side in the FA Cup win over West Brom.
There is an aggressive edge to his defensive work in one on one duels and a calmness to how he reads the game and senses the danger. You would need a decent step ladder to reach the Northern Irish defender’s ceiling. Onwards and upwards.