This was far from pretty and far from convincing by Norwich but David Wagner is unlikely to care.
The under-fire Canaries boss was jeered by the Carrow Road crowd after his team were held by Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup last weekend, their fourth winless game in a miserable festive period.
Wagner has become increasingly accustomed to fielding questions about his future but this result, which lifted Norwich to the brink of the play-off positions, offers relief.
It was a gritty performance in which several played walked a disciplinary tightrope but Jonathan Rowe's superb individual goal illuminated it.