Norwich 3-0 Ipswich: Canaries fired back to Championship summit

Paul Lambert’s return to Norwich descended into chaos as the Ipswich manager had to be held back by a police officer during a furious Old Farm Derby touchline bust-up.

Lambert, who took the Canaries from League One to the Premier League in 2011 with back-to-back promotions, was also shown red after clashing with opposing coaching staff.

It came after a crunching challenge by Jon Nolan on Max Aarons but, away from the handbags, this win also saw Norwich move back to the top of the Championship. 

It took Norwich just under two minutes to take the lead in the East Anglian derby, with Onel Hernandez scoring it

Hernandez swept home the opening goal from close range after Ipswich failed to clear their lines from Norwich’s first attack

Teemu Pukki fires the ball into the far corner for Norwich’s second goal of the contest on 65 minutes and his 19th this season

The Finnish striker then scored his 20th goal of the season to make it 3-0 and make absolutely sure of Norwich’s victory

Pukki slid in to score Norwich’s third and set the seal on a comfortable win for the Canaries against their greatest rivals

Onel Hernandez scored the opener after only 82 seconds before Teemu Pukki bagged a brace in the second half, leaving Lambert’s Ipswich rooted to the bottom of the table.

‘Going up, going down,’ Norwich’s supporters sang on repeat. Indeed it is looking more and more likely that they will be a Premier League club next season while Ipswich will be League One.

Lambert has his work cut out for him. Despite being a Norwich hall of famer, he knew he was in for a hostile welcome at Carrow Road. That comes with the badge he now wears on his chest.

Ipswich’s plan at the start seemed to be to kick the living daylights out of Norwich’s players. They pressed aggressively, leaving a little on their opponents whenever possible.

Yet it was their failure to apply that tactic to Aarons which proved costly when the right-back was allowed to run down the right wing in the second minute.

Aarons produced a cross, Ipswich failed to clear and a brave header from Mario Vrancic found Hernandez, who tapped the ball in at the back post.

Hernandez was already a fan favourite because of a recent interview in which he revealed his unusual love for Argos. Like their catalogues, the Cuban winger seemed to have the lot here. 

Tempers flared in first-half stoppage with a mass shoving match between the two sets of players following a heavy challenge

Players and coaching staff from both teams got involved in the touchline melee in the dying seconds of the first half

Lambert is restrained by a steward as tempers flared at the end of the first-half. Lambert was sent off seconds later

Norwich’s Head of Performance Chris Domogalla was also dismissed after squaring up to Lambert on the sidelines

Domogalla is shown a red card by referee Peter Bankes for his part in the touchline bust-up as Daniel Farke watches on

Lambert continued to point the finger even when restrained by a police officer as the Ipswich manager saw the red mist

Ipswich manager Paul Lambert speaks on his mobile phone after being banished to the stands at Carrow Road

He was Norwich’s bright spark on the left side of their attack and his opener turned out to be the home side’s only shot on target of the first half.

Ipswich went into this as one of two teams in England’s top four divisions without an away clean sheet, with Arsenal the other culprits. After conceding early, their fans feared the worst.

To their credit, the visitors weathered the storm before the bust-up on the sidelines stole the show.

Ipswich’s Nolan went in late and heavy on Aarons, who stayed down. It left Norwich’s players furious and a row subsequently broke out between both sides’ benches.

Lambert was heavily involved and he aimed his anger towards Norwich coach Chris Domogalla. A steward had to hold him back before a police officer took over in a bid to keep the peace.

Referee Peter Bankes produced a red card for Domogalla then Lambert, who continued his tirade as he stormed down the tunnel. A ban will not help him or Ipswich in the coming weeks.

Lambert’s day got worse in the second half. Matthew Pennington gave possession away cheaply to Emi Buendia, who played Pukki through. Norwich’s top scorer then found the far corner.

Pukki thought he had made it 3-0 when he got a final touch to Christoph Zimmerman’s shot, but the assistant correctly flagged him for offside.

Not to worry, though, as he soon had his second of the afternoon and this one was not chalked off. Buendia set him up again and Pukki slid in to score.

There remained time for another bust-up. This time, Flynn Downes flew into Buendia. He had no chance of winning the ball and, once again, it led to pushing and shoving among players.

Since Ipswich joined the Football League in 1938, they have never been more than a division away from their rivals. Now nine points adrift of safety, and with Norwich heading in the opposite direction, Lambert is up against it.  

Trevoh Chalobah shoots for goal under pressure from Jamal Lewis as Ipswich searched for a route back into the contest

Norwich’s Tom Trybull attempts to steer the ball away from Ipswich’s Jon Nolan during the first period at Carrow Road

Norwich’s Jamal Lewis and Ipswich’s Trevoh Chalobah go head-to-head as tempers flared during the second half

Onel Hernandez pushes forward in search of a second goal under pressure from Ipswich’s Trevoh Chalobah at Carrow Road