GRANT HOLT returned to the City line-up and notched his 24th goal of the season as City came from behind to win 2-1 away to Brighton & Hove Albion this afternoon.
City trailed at the break to an Elliott Bennett free-kick and did not level until Holt struck in the 80th minute. Paul Lambert's league leaders then took the lead just four minutes later when Gary Doherty headed home the winner.
The result saw City extend their lead at the top of League One to four points after second-placed Leeds United were held to a 1-1 draw at Leyton Orient.
After the match City boss Paul Lambert praised the battling spirit of his side.
"In the first half I think the game looked a bit too easy for us, we had a lot of the ball without really penetrating. Then we got caught on the free-kick which makes it even harder," Lambert told First News.
"What is said in the dressing room stays there but I thought the lads came out and responded brilliantly with a big, big effort and I'm delighted."
The returning Holt grabbed the all-important equaliser but the City boss was delighted with all of his attacking players efforts.
"When you take 23 goals out the team it's a big chunk but all the lads done great. We had Holt, Martin, McNamee, Johnson and Hoolahan up there at then end and it paid off - the lads have been great."
With City a goal behind going into the final ten minutes it was a brave decision from Lambert to withdraw defender Michael Nelson and go with three at the back but ultimately one that paid off.
"You've got to go on the front foot and you've got to win the game. You make decisions and hopefully more right ones than not but the lads deserve the credit."
Norwich's first chance of the afternoon fell to Chris Martin on the 16-minute mark. The in-form striker latched on to a ball from Simon Lappin and strode purposefully down the left flank before breaking into the box and dispatching a powerful low shot which was blocked by Kuipers in the Albion goal.
A minute later City had the ball in the net though Wes Hoolahan but his effort was ruled out for offside.
The visitors continued to create the better of the early openings and Holt almost marked his return to the side with a goal when he met a Michael Rose cross but headed wide from six yards out.
Against the run of play, Albion took the lead when Elliott Bennett struck home a free-kick from the angle of the area after Korey Smith had been pulled up for shirt pulling. Bennett's effort was hit low and crept past an unsighted Fraser Forster.
City almost engineered an equaliser after 33 minutes when Albion defender Tommy Elphick headed a Simon Lappin cross inches wide of his own goal.
The hosts should have doubled their lead 10 minutes before the break when Chris Holroyd pulled the ball back into the path of his strike partner Glenn Murray whose low shot was cleared off the line by the covering Nelson.
The second half started in similar fashion to the first with City having the lion's share of the possession but unable to create any clear-cut chances.
City came close to an equaliser on 68 minutes when Hoolahan met Russell Martin's whipped cross at the near post but his header flew fractionally wide.
The woodwork denied City on 72 minutes when Chris Martin swivelled in the area and cracked a shot flush against the post.
Moments later and City were once again indebted to the man on the line, this time Lappin was in the right place at the right time to clear a Murray header as City almost paid the price for committing too many players forward in search of an equaliser.
Holt's leveller arrived ten minutes from time when Hoolahan broke into the box and pulled the ball back to sub Oli Johnson and after his effort was blocked, Holt was on hand to rifle home off the underside of the bar.
Things got even better for City four minutes later when Doherty headed home a deep free-kick from Darel Russell for what proved to be the winning goal.
